Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Oswego’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oswego gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #69 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1981.
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 Oswego 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 Oswego’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oswego, and Oswego’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #69 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oswego’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, Oswego has less expected damage per building than 91% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Oswego: $988K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oswego flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oswego, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Oswego isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oswego County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oswego
Disasters that paid out in Oswego itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Oswego), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$529K to the Town of Oswego for repairs
- 2017Flooding$77K to the Town of Oswego for repairs
- 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$9K to the Town of Oswego for repairs
- 2004Snow$12K to the Town of Oswego for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$83K to the Town of Oswego for repairs
Oswego County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, 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 Oswego after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oswego archive →Oswego and its neighbors
Oswego has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oswego | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Oswego | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Minetto | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hannibal | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sterling | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| SUNY Oswego | — | 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 Oswego 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 Oswego
Is Oswego at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oswego has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #69 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Oswego flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Oswego since 1981, $516 in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Oswego 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 Oswego County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oswego?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oswego’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 Oswego?
By FEMA money that reached Oswego, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $529K to the Town of Oswego for repairs.
Is Oswego at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Oswego’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oswego.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oswego’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.