Logan Methodist Church · Photo: Dmadeo · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Hector faces less hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hector gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #259 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1979.
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 Hector 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.
What’s behind Hector’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hector, and Hector’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #259 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hector’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hector has less expected damage per building than 66% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Hector: $888K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hector flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hector, from FEMA’s records: 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hector isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Schuyler County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Hector
Disasters that paid out in Hector itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hector), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$56K to the Town of Hector for repairs
Schuyler County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Hector after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hector archive →Hector and its neighbors
Hector is 4th of the 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ulysses | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lodi | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Hector | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Watkins Glen | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Starkey | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Dix | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Enfield | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Catharine | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Montour | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Hector 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 Hector
Is Hector at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hector has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #259 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Hector flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Hector since 1979, $55K in all, or 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Hector 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 Schuyler County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Hector?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hector’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 Hector?
By FEMA money that reached Hector, Severe Storms and Flooding (2018): $56K to the Town of Hector for repairs.
Is Hector at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Hector’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hector.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hector’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.