Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Moira’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moira gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #329 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then earthquakes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Moira 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.
What’s behind Moira’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Moira, and Moira’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #329 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Moira’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Moira has less expected damage per building than 57% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $596K a year in losses across Moira: $487K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Moira flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Moira. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Moira isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Moira
Disasters that paid out in Moira itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Moira), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$347K to the Town of Moira for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Town of Moira for repairs
Franklin County has had 14 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 Moira after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Moira archive →Moira and its neighbors
Moira is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Moira 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 Moira
Is Moira at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moira has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #329 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and earthquakes (12%). 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.
Is Moira 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 Franklin County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Moira?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Moira’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 Moira?
By FEMA money that reached Moira, Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (2024): $347K to the Town of Moira for repairs.
Is Moira at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Moira’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Moira.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Moira’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.