Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Newburgh
Newburgh isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Newburgh yet. Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1979.
What Newburgh 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
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.
Does Newburgh flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newburgh, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene10 claims · $146K
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $134K
Newburgh 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.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Newburgh
Disasters that paid out in Newburgh itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Newburgh), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida$25K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $134K
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$96K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$185K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $22K
- 2011Hurricane Irene$419K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs10 flood claims paid for it, $146K
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$87K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Show all 9
- 2003Snow$71K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$60K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$350K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs1 flood claim 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 Newburgh after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Newburgh archive →Newburgh and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. 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 |
| Marlborough | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Plattekill | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Montgomery | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Wappinger | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Fishkill | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| Newburgh | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Gardnertown | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Balmville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Marlboro | — | 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 Newburgh 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.
- 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 Newburgh
Does Newburgh flood?
Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in Newburgh since 1979, $759K in all. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (10).
Is Newburgh 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 Newburgh?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Newburgh’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 Newburgh?
By FEMA money that reached Newburgh, Hurricane Irene (2011): $419K to the Town of Newburgh for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 10 paid, $146K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newburgh.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Newburgh’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.