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First Congregational Church and CemeteryFirst Congregational Church and Cemetery · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Lewis · FEMA

FEMA puts Lewis’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lewis gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 91%Earthquakes 4%Hurricanes 2%

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 65%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 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1996 · $81K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 19 declared for Essex County
By hazard

What Lewis 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

91%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Tornadoes Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 30% of Lewis’ expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Lewis’ grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lewis, and Lewis’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lewis sits
Lewis
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Earthquakes4%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Lewis: $626K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Lewis’ 1,293 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Essex town (621 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 Lewis flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lewis, from FEMA’s records: 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199619982011
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $25K
3
paid claims since 1996
$81K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$27K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Essex County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lewis

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$14K to the Town of Lewis for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$3K to the Town of Lewis for repairs
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene11 households applied for aid$15K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $25K
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$21K to the Town of Lewis for repairs
  5. 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$12K to the Town of Lewis for repairs
  6. 2004Snow$5K to the Town of Lewis for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$28K to the Town of Lewis for repairs
  2. 1999Snow$8K to the Town of Lewis for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LewisEssex County only

Essex County has had 19 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 Lewis after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lewis archive →
Next door

Lewis and its neighbors

Lewis has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Elizabethtown: hazard risk CChesterfield: hazard risk CJay: hazard risk C−Willsboro: hazard risk CEssex: not gradedWestport: hazard risk CElizabethtownChesterfieldJayWillsboroEssexWestportLewis
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LewisCmore damage than 65%river and rain flooding3
ChesterfieldCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding8
WillsboroCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding10
ElizabethtownCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding26
WestportCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding11
JayC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding166
Essex—710 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 Lewis 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 Lewis

Is Lewis at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lewis has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Lewis flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Lewis since 1996, $81K in all, or 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Lewis 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 Essex County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Lewis?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lewis, Severe Storms and Flooding (2000): $28K to the Town of Lewis for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $25K.

Is Lewis at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Lewis’ rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lewis.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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