Storms, floods and disasters in Northwest Ithaca
Northwest Ithaca isn’t graded for hazard risk: Northwest Ithaca is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1993.
What Northwest Ithaca 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.
Does Northwest Ithaca flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Northwest Ithaca, from FEMA’s records.
Northwest Ithaca isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tompkins County.The storms Northwest Ithaca remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Tompkins County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Northwest Ithaca itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19932 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Blizzard, declared for Tompkins County
Tompkins County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Northwest Ithaca after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Northwest Ithaca archive →Northwest Ithaca 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 66 |
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 Northwest Ithaca 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 Northwest Ithaca
Does Northwest Ithaca flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Northwest Ithaca since 1993, $17K in all.
Is Northwest Ithaca 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 Tompkins County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Northwest Ithaca?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Northwest Ithaca’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Northwest Ithaca.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Northwest Ithaca’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.