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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Louisville · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Louisville as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Louisville gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #528 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1985.

River and rain flooding 89%Earthquakes 8%Ice storms 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 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#528 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
B−#528 of 758
in New York · higher than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1985 · $96K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for St. Lawrence County
By hazard

What Louisville 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Strong wind Hurricanes Tornadoes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning 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 cold waves at 17% of Louisville’s expected losses. Cold waves 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 Louisville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Louisville, and Louisville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Louisville sits
Louisville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #528 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Earthquakes8%Everything else3%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Louisville has more expected damage per building than 70% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $864K a year in losses across Louisville: $667K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Louisville’s 3,050 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Louisville flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1985

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Louisville, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1985: 2 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198519901996
19852026
8
paid claims since 1985
$96K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: St. Lawrence County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Louisville

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

  1. 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$6K to the Town of Louisville for repairs
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$28K to the Town of Louisville for repairs
  3. 2017Flooding$9K to the Town of Louisville for repairs
  4. 1999Snow$3K to the Town of Louisville for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LouisvilleSt. Lawrence County only

St. Lawrence County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. 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 Louisville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Louisville archive →
Next door

Louisville and its neighbors

Louisville is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Norfolk: hazard risk C+Massena: hazard risk B−Waddington: hazard risk BNorfolkMassenaWaddingtonLouisville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WaddingtonBless damage than 65%river and rain flooding4
MassenaB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding1
LouisvilleB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding8
NorfolkC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding—

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 Louisville 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Louisville

Is Louisville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Louisville has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #528 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and earthquakes (8%). 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 Louisville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Louisville since 1985, $96K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Louisville 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 St. Lawrence County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Louisville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Louisville, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2022): $28K to the Town of Louisville for repairs.

Is Louisville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Louisville’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Louisville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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