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Parker 13-Sided BarnParker 13-Sided Barn · Photo: Jan3d · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Jefferson · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Jefferson than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 95%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 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in New York · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
13
of 20 declared for Schoharie County
By hazard

What Jefferson 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

95%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 2%
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 Jefferson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jefferson, and Jefferson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Jefferson sits
Jefferson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $797K a year in losses across Jefferson: $701K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Jefferson’s 1,333 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Fulton town (1,199 residents) and Blenheim town (308 residents) and Jefferson CDP (121 residents) and North Blenheim CDP (54 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 Jefferson flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Jefferson. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Schoharie County.
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jefferson

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$12K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$325K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$30K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$22K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm$51K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$91K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$121K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  2. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$54K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  3. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$77K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$38K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  6. 2002Snowstorms$9K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
  7. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JeffersonSchoharie County only

Schoharie County has had 20 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Jefferson archive →
Next door

Jefferson and its neighbors

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

Summit: hazard risk CBlenheim: not gradedHarpersfield: hazard risk B−SummitBlenheimHarpersfieldJefferson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HarpersfieldB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding1
SummitCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding4
JeffersonC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding0
Blenheim—305 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson

Is Jefferson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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.

Is Jefferson 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 Schoharie County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Jefferson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Jefferson, Hurricane Irene (2011): 8 households applied for aid, $2K approved, and $325K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs.

Is Jefferson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Jefferson’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jefferson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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