Photo: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia.; dropped by Beyond My Ken 20:59, 24 September 2014 (UTC) · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Kiryas Joel faces less hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiryas Joel gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #218 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.
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 Kiryas Joel 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
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 Kiryas Joel’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kiryas Joel, and Kiryas Joel’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 17% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
A #218 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kiryas Joel’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kiryas Joel has less expected damage per building than 71% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.7M a year in losses across Kiryas Joel: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kiryas Joel flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kiryas Joel, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $1K
Kiryas Joel isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orange County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kiryas Joel
Disasters that paid out in Kiryas Joel itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Kiryas Joel), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$635K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$157K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$95K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $1K
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$135K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$112K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
Show all 10
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
- 2003Snow$28K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$10K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$46K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs
Orange County has had 25 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2024.
Old photos of Kiryas Joel after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kiryas Joel archive →Kiryas Joel and its neighbors
Kiryas Joel is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Kiryas Joel 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.
- 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 Kiryas Joel
Is Kiryas Joel at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiryas Joel has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #218 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kiryas Joel flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Kiryas Joel since 2011, $13K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Kiryas Joel 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 Orange County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kiryas Joel?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kiryas Joel’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 Kiryas Joel?
By FEMA money that reached Kiryas Joel, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 1 households applied for aid, $3K approved, and $635K to the Village of Kiryas Joel for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $1K.
Is Kiryas Joel at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Kiryas Joel’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kiryas Joel.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kiryas Joel’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.