Photo: DanielPenfield · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Oneonta’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oneonta gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #595 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 32 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 Oneonta 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 Oneonta’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oneonta, and Oneonta’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #595 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oneonta’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Oneonta has more expected damage per building than 78% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Oneonta: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oneonta flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oneonta, from FEMA’s records: 14.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee12 claims · $393K
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $20K
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $1K
Oneonta isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Otsego County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oneonta
Disasters that paid out in Oneonta itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Oneonta), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$27K to the Town of Oneonta for repairs
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$93K to the Town of Oneonta for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $393K
- 2011Hurricane Irene$21K to the Town of Oneonta for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$300K to the Town of Oneonta for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$1.5M to the Town of Oneonta for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Oneonta for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 8
- 2003Ice Storm$9K to the Town of Oneonta for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$11K to the Town of Oneonta for repairs
Otsego County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Oneonta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oneonta archive →Oneonta and its neighbors
Oneonta has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oneonta | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Davenport | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Franklin | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Milford | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Laurens | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Otego | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 Oneonta 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 Oneonta
Is Oneonta at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oneonta has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #595 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Oneonta flood?
Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Oneonta since 1978, $1.9M in all, or 14.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (12).
Is Oneonta 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 Otsego County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oneonta?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oneonta’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 Oneonta?
By FEMA money that reached Oneonta, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $1.5M to the Town of Oneonta for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 12 paid, $393K.
Is Oneonta at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Oneonta’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oneonta.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oneonta’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.