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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in New Haven · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, New Haven faces less hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Haven gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #250 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2024.

River and rain flooding 90%Ice storms 3%Earthquakes 2%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#250 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#250 of 758
in New York · lower than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2024 · $6K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 15 declared for Oswego County
By hazard

What New Haven 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

90%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Winter storms Coastal flooding Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 New Haven’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Haven, and New Haven’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where New Haven sits
New Haven
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #250 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Ice storms3%Everything else7%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, New Haven has less expected damage per building than 67% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $482K a year in losses across New Haven: $403K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of New Haven’s 2,931 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 New Haven flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2024

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Haven, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2024
20242026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Debby1 claim · $6K
1
paid claims since 2024
$6K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Oswego County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Haven

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm and Flooding$37K to the Town of New Haven for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$11K to the Town of New Haven for repairs
  3. 2004Snow$10K to the Town of New Haven for repairs
  4. 2003Ice Storm3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$14K to the Town of New Haven for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in New HavenOswego County only

Oswego County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

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

Add to the New Haven archive →
Next door

New Haven and its neighbors

New Haven is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Mexico: hazard risk A−Scriba: hazard risk AMexicoScribaNew Haven
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ScribaAless damage than 95%river and rain flooding12
New HavenA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding1
MexicoA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding7

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 New Haven 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 ↗
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 New Haven

Is New Haven at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Haven has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #250 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 New Haven flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in New Haven since 2024, $6K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (1).

Is New Haven 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 Oswego County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in New Haven?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Haven’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 New Haven?

By FEMA money that reached New Haven, Severe Storm and Flooding (2024): $37K to the Town of New Haven for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 1 paid, $6K.

Is New Haven at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and New Haven’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Haven.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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