Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Hewlett Harbor than in 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hewlett Harbor gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%). Flood insurance has paid 189 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 stands out about Hewlett Harbor’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hewlett Harbor 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
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Hewlett Harbor’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hewlett Harbor, and Hewlett Harbor’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hewlett Harbor’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $641K a year in losses across Hewlett Harbor: $582K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hewlett Harbor flood? Yes: 189 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hewlett Harbor, from FEMA’s records: 453.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy124 claims · $17.3M
- The Torrential rain12 claims · $76K
- Hurricane Irene11 claims · $425K
Hewlett Harbor isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nassau County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hewlett Harbor
Disasters that paid out in Hewlett Harbor itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Hewlett Harbor), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy4 households applied for aid$28K aid approved$62K to the Village of Hewlett Harbor for repairs124 flood claims paid for it, $17.3M
- 2011Hurricane Irene$13K to the Village of Hewlett Harbor for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $425K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Village of Hewlett Harbor for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Village of Hewlett Harbor for repairs
Nassau County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, 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 Hewlett Harbor after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hewlett Harbor archive →Hewlett Harbor and its neighbors
Hewlett Harbor has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hewlett Harbor | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 189 |
| East Rockaway | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1,026 |
| Hewlett Bay Park | — | 428 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bay Park | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Hewlett | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Hewlett Neck | — | 519 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 Hewlett Harbor 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Hewlett Harbor
Is Hewlett Harbor at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hewlett Harbor has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and coastal flooding (9%). 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 Hewlett Harbor flood?
Flood insurance has paid 189 claims in Hewlett Harbor since 1979, $18.2M in all, or 453.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 24 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (124).
Is Hewlett Harbor 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 Nassau County, 76% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hewlett Harbor?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hewlett Harbor’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 Hewlett Harbor?
By FEMA money that reached Hewlett Harbor, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 4 households applied for aid, $28K approved, and $62K to the Village of Hewlett Harbor for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 124 paid, $17.3M.
Is Hewlett Harbor at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Hewlett Harbor’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hewlett Harbor.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hewlett Harbor’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.