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Hancock, NY, town hallPhoto: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Hancock · FEMA

FEMA puts Hancock’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hancock gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #753 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 100 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 96%Hurricanes 2%Tornadoes 1%

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

more than 90%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#753 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
D#753 of 758
in New York · higher than 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
100
paid since 1978 · $2.0M
Flooded more than once
22
properties · 5 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
16
of 30 declared for Delaware County

What stands out about Hancock’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

100 paid flood claims since 1978$2.0M in all; 22 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 91% of U.S. towns.Remembers 200636 flood claims were paid for 2006 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Hancock 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Landslides top 4% Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Hancock’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hancock, and Hancock’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hancock sits
Hancock
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #753 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Hancock’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hancock has more expected damage per building than 99% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Hancock: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hancock’s 2,764 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hancock village (908 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Hancock flood? Yes: 100 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hancock, from FEMA’s records: 38.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 1 claim1980: 1 claim1981: 4 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 10 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 14 claims2005: 20 claims2006: 36 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 8 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420052006
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain19 claims · $312K
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $60K
  • Tropical Storm Lee3 claims · $54K
100
paid claims since 1978
$2.0M
paid to owners
22
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (5)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Hancock isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Delaware County.
Disasters

16 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hancock

Disasters that paid out in Hancock itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hancock), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$643K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  2. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$892K to the Town of Hancock for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$37K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  4. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$108K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  5. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$72K to the Town of Hancock for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $54K
  6. 2011Hurricane Irene$20K to the Town of Hancock for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $60K
Show all 16
  1. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$19K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Winter Storm$92K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$548K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$10.2M to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$1.8M to the Town of Hancock for repairs20 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$427K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  7. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$31K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  8. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$16K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  9. 2003Snow$13K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
  10. 2002Snowstorms$34K to the Town of Hancock for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HancockDelaware County only

Delaware County has had 30 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Hancock after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hancock archive →
Next door

Hancock and its neighbors

Hancock is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Buckingham Township: not gradedManchester Township: not gradedScott Township: not gradedHancock: not gradedColchester: hazard risk DFremont: hazard risk CTompkins: hazard risk C−Buckingham TownshipManchester TownshipScott TownshipHancockColchesterFremontTompkinsHancock
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FremontCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding18
TompkinsC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding3
HancockDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding100
ColchesterDmore damage than 94%river and rain flooding100
Buckingham Township—465 residents; we grade 1,000+
Manchester Township—680 residents; we grade 1,000+
Scott Township—434 residents; we grade 1,000+
Hancock—745 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Hancock faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Hancock

Is Hancock at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hancock has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #753 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hancock flood?

Flood insurance has paid 100 claims in Hancock since 1978, $2.0M in all, or 38.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 22 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (19).

Is Hancock 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 Delaware County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hancock?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hancock’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 Hancock?

By FEMA money that reached Hancock, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $10.2M to the Town of Hancock for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 19 paid, $312K.

Is Hancock at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Hancock’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hancock.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hancock’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.