Knox Headquarters · Photo: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts New Windsor’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Windsor gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #201 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 43 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about New Windsor’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What New Windsor 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
Hurricanes
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 New Windsor’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Windsor, and New Windsor’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 15% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
A #201 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
New Windsor’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, New Windsor has less expected damage per building than 74% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.5M a year in losses across New Windsor: $4.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does New Windsor flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Windsor, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene9 claims · $231K
- The Torrential rain3 claims · $82K
- The December nor’easter3 claims · $23K
New Windsor 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Windsor
Disasters that paid out in New Windsor itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of New Windsor), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida84 households applied for aid$255K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $23K
- 2012Hurricane Sandy35 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee9 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene243 households applied for aid$941K aid approved9 flood claims paid for it, $231K
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding27 households applied for aid$18K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$7K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
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.
Old photos of New Windsor after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Windsor archive →New Windsor and its neighbors
New Windsor has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Windsor | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Montgomery | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Hamptonburgh | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Blooming Grove | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 135 |
| Fishkill | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| Cornwall | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Newburgh | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Newburgh | — | not graded yet | |
| Vails Gate | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Firthcliffe | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 New Windsor 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.
- 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.
- 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 New Windsor
Is New Windsor at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Windsor has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #201 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does New Windsor flood?
Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in New Windsor since 1979, $746K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (9).
Is New Windsor 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 New Windsor?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Windsor’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 Windsor?
By FEMA money that reached New Windsor, Hurricane Irene (2011): 243 households applied for aid, $941K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 9 paid, $231K.
Is New Windsor at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and New Windsor’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Windsor.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Windsor’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.