FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Nanticoke than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nanticoke gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2011.
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 Nanticoke 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 Nanticoke’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nanticoke, and Nanticoke’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Nanticoke’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $591K a year in losses across Nanticoke: $498K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Nanticoke flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Nanticoke, from FEMA’s records: 4.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $12K
Nanticoke isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Broome County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nanticoke
Disasters that paid out in Nanticoke itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Nanticoke), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$118K to the Town of Nanticoke for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $12K
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$70K to the Town of Nanticoke for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Nanticoke for repairs
- 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Nanticoke for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$11K to the Town of Nanticoke for repairs
Broome County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe 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 Nanticoke after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Nanticoke archive →Nanticoke and its neighbors
Nanticoke is 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Barker | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Maine | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Newark Valley | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Lisle | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Nanticoke | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Glen Aubrey | — | 311 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 Nanticoke 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 Nanticoke
Is Nanticoke at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nanticoke has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D 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 Nanticoke flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Nanticoke since 2011, $64K in all, or 4.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Nanticoke 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 Broome County, 1.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Nanticoke?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Nanticoke’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 Nanticoke?
By FEMA money that reached Nanticoke, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): $118K to the Town of Nanticoke for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $12K.
Is Nanticoke at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Nanticoke’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nanticoke.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Nanticoke’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.