Middlefield Hamlet Historic District · Photo: Doug Kerr from Upstate New York · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Middlefield than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlefield gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1980.
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 Middlefield 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
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 Middlefield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Middlefield, and Middlefield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Middlefield’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Middlefield: $965K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Middlefield flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middlefield, from FEMA’s records: 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $3K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $16K
Middlefield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Otsego County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Middlefield
Disasters that paid out in Middlefield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Middlefield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$582K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$12K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$32K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$75K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$317K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
Show all 9
- 2003Ice Storm$7K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$13K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$15K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs
Otsego County has had 20 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.
Old photos of Middlefield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middlefield archive →Middlefield and its neighbors
Middlefield is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Valley | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Springfield | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Otsego | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Hartwick | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Middlefield | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Milford | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Hartwick Seminary | — | 338 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Roseboom | — | 630 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Westford | — | 862 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 Middlefield 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.
- 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 Middlefield
Is Middlefield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlefield has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Middlefield flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Middlefield since 1980, $31K in all, or 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Middlefield 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 Otsego County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Middlefield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Middlefield’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 Middlefield?
By FEMA money that reached Middlefield, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $582K to the Town of Middlefield for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $3K.
Is Middlefield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Middlefield’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middlefield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Middlefield’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.