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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Lumberland · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Lumberland than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lumberland gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 6%Tornadoes 3%

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

less than 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in New York · lower than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1996 · $66K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
10
of 26 declared for Sullivan County
By hazard

What Lumberland 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

86%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Lightning 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 8% of Lumberland’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 Lumberland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lumberland, and Lumberland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Lumberland sits
Lumberland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes6%Tornadoes3%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Lumberland: $910K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Lumberland’s 2,243 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 Lumberland flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lumberland, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 1 claim2006: 5 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620042006
19962026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $20K
  • Hurricane Ida1 claim · $4K
11
paid claims since 1996
$66K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Sullivan County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lumberland

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida$411K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $4K
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$21K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs
  3. 2012Hurricane Sandy$48K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs
  4. 2011Hurricane Irene$36K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$192K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 10
  1. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan1 households applied for aid$259K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs
  4. 2002Snowstorms$27K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LumberlandSullivan County only

Sullivan County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Lumberland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lumberland archive →
Next door

Lumberland and its neighbors

Lumberland is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Forestburgh: not gradedDeerpark: hazard risk CShohola Township: hazard risk BWestfall Township: hazard risk DHighland: hazard risk C+ForestburghDeerparkShohola TownshipWestfall TownshipHighlandLumberland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Shohola TownshipBless damage than 65%river and rain flooding2
LumberlandBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding11
HighlandC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding19
DeerparkCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding136
Westfall TownshipDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding68
Forestburgh—789 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 Lumberland 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 Lumberland

Is Lumberland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lumberland has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Lumberland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Lumberland since 1996, $66K in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).

Is Lumberland 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 Sullivan County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lumberland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lumberland, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): $411K to the Town of Lumberland for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $20K.

Is Lumberland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Lumberland’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lumberland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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