Photo: Alexisrael · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Orangetown’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orangetown gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #155 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%). Flood insurance has paid 292 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 Orangetown’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Orangetown 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 Orangetown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orangetown, and Orangetown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A #155 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Orangetown’s residents live in 12 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, Orangetown has less expected damage per building than 80% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.4M a year in losses across Orangetown: $8.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Orangetown flood? Yes: 292 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orangetown, from FEMA’s records: 15.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida34 claims · $2.5M
- Hurricane Irene24 claims · $1.1M
Orangetown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rockland County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orangetown
Disasters that paid out in Orangetown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Orangetown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida$663K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs34 flood claims paid for it, $2.5M
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$620K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$1.6M to the Town of Orangetown for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $288K
- 2011Hurricane Irene$239K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs24 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$172K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$140K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs
Show all 9
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$87K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs21 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Snow$105K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$909K to the Town of Orangetown for repairs20 flood claims paid for it, $385K
Rockland County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe 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 Orangetown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Orangetown archive →Orangetown and its neighbors
Orangetown is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyack | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Chestnut Ridge | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Clarkstown | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 724 |
| Tarrytown | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Orangetown | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 292 |
| Greenburgh | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 402 |
| Ramapo | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 335 |
| Blauvelt | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| West Nyack | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Pearl River | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Nanuet | — | 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 Orangetown 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 Orangetown
Is Orangetown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orangetown has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #155 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Orangetown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 292 claims in Orangetown since 1978, $5.8M in all, or 15.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 36 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (34).
Is Orangetown 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 Rockland County, 50% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Orangetown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Orangetown’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 Orangetown?
By FEMA money that reached Orangetown, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $1.6M to the Town of Orangetown for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 34 paid, $2.5M.
Is Orangetown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Orangetown’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orangetown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Orangetown’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.