Photo: Zach · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Minerva
Minerva isn’t graded for hazard risk: Minerva has 836 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Minerva 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.
Does Minerva flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Minerva. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Minerva 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Minerva
Disasters that paid out in Minerva itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Minerva), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$253K to the Town of Minerva for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Town of Minerva for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$59K to the Town of Minerva for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$6K to the Town of Minerva for repairs
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.
Old photos of Minerva after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Minerva archive →Minerva 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schroon | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Indian Lake | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Chester | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Newcomb | — | 490 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| North Hudson | — | 208 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Long Lake | — | 875 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 Minerva 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 Minerva
Is Minerva 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 Minerva?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Minerva’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 Minerva?
By FEMA money that reached Minerva, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $253K to the Town of Minerva for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Minerva.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Minerva’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.