Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Otego

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Otego · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Otego

Otego isn’t graded for hazard risk: Otego has 936 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1979.

Flood claims
19
paid since 1979 · $691K
Flooded more than once
5
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Otsego County
By hazard

What Otego 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Otego’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Otego flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Otego, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 7 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 10 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197920062011
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee10 claims · $137K
19
paid claims since 1979
$691K
paid to owners
5
homes flooded more than once
$36K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Otego 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Otego

Disasters that paid out in Otego itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Otego), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Village of Otego for repairs
  2. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee63 households applied for aid$164K aid approved$48K to the Village of Otego for repairs10 flood claims paid for it, $137K
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene14 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  4. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Village of Otego for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding101 households applied for aid$309K aid approved$52K to the Village of Otego for repairs
  6. 2002Snowstorms$3K to the Village of Otego for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OtegoOtsego County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Otego after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Otego archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Otego faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Otego

Does Otego flood?

Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Otego since 1979, $691K in all. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (10).

Is Otego 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 Otego?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Otego’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 Otego?

By FEMA money that reached Otego, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 101 households applied for aid, $309K approved, and $52K to the Village of Otego for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 10 paid, $137K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Otego.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Otego’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.