Photo: scanned by Dave Parker · Public domainFEMA puts Oneida’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oneida gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #718 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 119 claims here since 1978.
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 Oneida’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Oneida 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 Oneida’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oneida, and Oneida’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #718 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oneida’s residents live in 3 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, Oneida has more expected damage per building than 95% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Oneida: $4.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oneida flood? Yes: 119 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oneida, from FEMA’s records: 24.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $3K
Oneida isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madison County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oneida
Disasters that paid out in Oneida itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Oneida), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$17K to the City of Oneida for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$2.4M to the City of Oneida for repairs96 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee3 households applied for aid$30K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2003Ice Storm1 households applied for aid$7K to the City of Oneida for repairs
Show all 8
- 2002Snowstorms$10K to the City of Oneida for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the City of Oneida for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Madison County has had 18 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 Oneida after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oneida archive →Oneida and its neighbors
Oneida is 7th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockbridge | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lenox | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Vernon | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Lincoln | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Verona | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Sherrill | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oneida | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 119 |
| Oneida Castle | — | 597 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Durhamville | — | 749 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Wampsville | — | 540 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 Oneida 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 Oneida
Is Oneida at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oneida has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #718 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Oneida flood?
Flood insurance has paid 119 claims in Oneida since 1978, $3.6M in all, or 24.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Oneida 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 Madison County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Oneida?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oneida’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 Oneida?
By FEMA money that reached Oneida, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $2.4M to the City of Oneida for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $3K.
Is Oneida at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Oneida’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oneida.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oneida’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.