Photo: Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Long Lake
Long Lake isn’t graded for hazard risk: Long Lake has 875 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1998.
What Long Lake 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
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.
Does Long Lake flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Long Lake, from FEMA’s records.
Long Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hamilton County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Long Lake
Disasters that paid out in Long Lake itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Long Lake), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$1.0M to the Town of Long Lake for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Town of Long Lake for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$30K to the Town of Long Lake for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$1K to the Town of Long Lake for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of Long Lake for repairs
Hamilton County has had 12 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 Long Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Long Lake archive →Long Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webb | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Indian Lake | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Harrietstown | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Colton | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Tupper Lake | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Arietta | — | 264 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Inlet | — | 227 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Newcomb | — | 490 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Minerva | — | 836 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Piercefield | — | 311 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 Long Lake 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.
- 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 Long Lake
Does Long Lake flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Long Lake since 1998, $280K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Long Lake 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 Hamilton County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Long Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Long Lake’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 Long Lake?
By FEMA money that reached Long Lake, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $1.0M to the Town of Long Lake for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Long Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Long Lake’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.