Photo: AdmOxalate · CC BY 3.0FEMA puts Laurel Hollow’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laurel Hollow gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2007.
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 Laurel Hollow 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
Coastal 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 Laurel Hollow’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Laurel Hollow, and Laurel Hollow’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Laurel Hollow’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $712K a year in losses across Laurel Hollow: $667K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Laurel Hollow flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2007
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laurel Hollow, from FEMA’s records: 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $12K
Laurel Hollow 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Laurel Hollow
Disasters that paid out in Laurel Hollow itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Laurel Hollow), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida1 households applied for aid$3K to the Village of Laurel Hollow for repairs
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$17K to the Village of Laurel Hollow for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$120K to the Village of Laurel Hollow for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$15K to the Village of Laurel Hollow for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $12K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$116K to the Village of Laurel Hollow for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Village of Laurel Hollow for repairs
Show all 7
- 2003Snow$8K to the Village of Laurel Hollow 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 Laurel Hollow after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laurel Hollow archive →Laurel Hollow and its neighbors
Laurel Hollow is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 411 |
| Oyster Bay Cove | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Laurel Hollow | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Oyster Bay | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 4,654 |
| Woodbury | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Cold Spring Harbor | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Syosset | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Cove Neck | — | 231 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 Laurel Hollow 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.
- 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.
- 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 Laurel Hollow
Is Laurel Hollow at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laurel Hollow has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (15%). 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 Laurel Hollow flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Laurel Hollow since 2007, $22K in all, or 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Laurel Hollow 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 Laurel Hollow?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laurel Hollow’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 Laurel Hollow?
By FEMA money that reached Laurel Hollow, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $120K to the Village of Laurel Hollow for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $12K.
Is Laurel Hollow at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Laurel Hollow’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laurel Hollow.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laurel Hollow’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.