Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Highland
Highland isn’t graded for hazard risk: Highland is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2005.
What Highland 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.
Does Highland flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 2005
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highland, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene8 claims · $335K
- The April 2007 nor’easter1 claim · $4K
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $740
Highland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ulster County.The storms Highland remembers
None of the 28 disasters declared for Ulster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Highland itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20119 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Ulster County
- 20051 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Ulster County
- 20071 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Ulster County
Ulster County has had 28 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 Highland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Highland archive →Highland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poughkeepsie | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Lloyd | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Hyde Park | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
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 Highland 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 Highland
Does Highland flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Highland since 2005, $349K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (8).
Is Highland 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 Ulster County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Highland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Highland’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 Highland?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 8 paid, $335K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Highland’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.