Storms, floods and disasters in Greenwood
Greenwood isn’t graded for hazard risk: Greenwood has 699 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1984.
What Greenwood faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Greenwood flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Greenwood, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $19K
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $470
Greenwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Steuben County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Greenwood
Disasters that paid out in Greenwood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Greenwood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$2.2M to the Town of Greenwood for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $19K
- 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$4.8M to the Town of Greenwood for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$7K to the Town of Greenwood for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Town of Greenwood for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$41K to the Town of Greenwood for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$917 aid approved$236K to the Town of Greenwood for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$66K to the Town of Greenwood for repairs
Steuben County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Greenwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Greenwood archive →Greenwood and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Andover | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Independence | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hartsville | — | 512 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Union | — | 520 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Greenwood faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Greenwood
Does Greenwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Greenwood since 1984, $23K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (1).
Is Greenwood in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Steuben County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Greenwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Greenwood’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Greenwood?
By FEMA money that reached Greenwood, Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred (2021): $4.8M to the Town of Greenwood for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 1 paid, $19K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Greenwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Greenwood’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.