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Mount Hope, NY, town hallPhoto: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Mount Hope · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Mount Hope than in 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Hope gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #216 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2007.

River and rain flooding 79%Hurricanes 13%Earthquakes 4%

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 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#216 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A#216 of 758
in New York · lower than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 2007 · $72K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
10
of 25 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What Mount Hope 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

79%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Landslides Lightning Cold waves Heat waves
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 9% of Mount Hope’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 Mount Hope’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Hope, and Mount Hope’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Mount Hope sits
Mount Hope
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #216 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Hurricanes13%Earthquakes4%Everything else4%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Mount Hope has less expected damage per building than 72% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Mount Hope: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Mount Hope’s 6,537 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Otisville village (969 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Mount Hope flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2007

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Hope, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 3 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200720092011
20072026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene3 claims · $53K
  • The April 2007 nor’easter1 claim · $11K
6
paid claims since 2007
$72K
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 homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orange County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Hope

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

  1. 2012Hurricane Sandy$86K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene$118K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $53K
  3. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$217K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$209K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
  6. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$60K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$18K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
  3. 2002Snowstorms$15K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
  4. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$14K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Mount HopeOrange County only

Orange County has had 25 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.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2024.

Were you here?

Old photos of Mount Hope after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Mount Hope archive →
Next door

Mount Hope and its neighbors

Mount Hope is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Mamakating: hazard risk BDeerpark: hazard risk CWallkill: hazard risk AWawayanda: hazard risk AGreenville: hazard risk AMamakatingDeerparkWallkillWawayandaGreenvilleMount Hope
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GreenvilleAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding1
WallkillAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding44
WawayandaAless damage than 87%river and rain flooding10
Mount HopeAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding6
MamakatingBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding40
DeerparkCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding136

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 Mount Hope 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 Mount Hope

Is Mount Hope at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Hope has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #216 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Mount Hope flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Mount Hope since 2007, $72K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).

Is Mount Hope 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 Orange County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mount Hope?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mount Hope, Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding (2007): $217K to the Town of Mount Hope for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $53K.

Is Mount Hope at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Mount Hope’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Hope.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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