Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Hamptonburgh’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hamptonburgh gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #383 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 40 claims here since 1983.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Hamptonburgh’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hamptonburgh 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
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Hamptonburgh’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hamptonburgh, and Hamptonburgh’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #383 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hamptonburgh’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hamptonburgh has more expected damage per building than 50% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Hamptonburgh: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hamptonburgh flood? Sometimes: 40 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hamptonburgh, from FEMA’s records: 22.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene14 claims · $318K
- The Torrential rain3 claims · $41K
- The April 2007 nor’easter3 claims · $27K
Hamptonburgh isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orange County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hamptonburgh
Disasters that paid out in Hamptonburgh itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hamptonburgh), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Hurricane Irene$57K to the Town of Hamptonburgh for repairs14 flood claims paid for it, $318K
- 2003Snow$19K to the Town of Hamptonburgh for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2002Snowstorms$15K to the Town of Hamptonburgh for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$83K to the Town of Hamptonburgh for repairs
Orange County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2024.
Old photos of Hamptonburgh after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hamptonburgh archive →Hamptonburgh and its neighbors
Hamptonburgh is 6th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maybrook | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Goshen | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| New Windsor | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Wallkill | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Montgomery | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Hamptonburgh | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Blooming Grove | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 135 |
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 Hamptonburgh 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Hamptonburgh
Is Hamptonburgh at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hamptonburgh has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #383 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hamptonburgh flood?
Flood insurance has paid 40 claims in Hamptonburgh since 1983, $669K in all, or 22.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (14).
Is Hamptonburgh 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 Orange County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hamptonburgh?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hamptonburgh’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 Hamptonburgh?
By FEMA money that reached Hamptonburgh, Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations (1999): $83K to the Town of Hamptonburgh for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 14 paid, $318K.
Is Hamptonburgh at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Hamptonburgh’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hamptonburgh.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hamptonburgh’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.