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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Otisville · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Otisville

Otisville isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Otisville yet.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 25 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What Otisville 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

79%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Landslides Lightning Cold waves Heat waves
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 9% of Otisville’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 Otisville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Otisville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Otisville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Orange County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Otisville

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

  1. 2012Hurricane Sandy11 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$10K to the Village of Otisville for repairs
  2. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee5 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$3K to the Village of Otisville for repairs
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene50 households applied for aid$172K aid approved$58K to the Village of Otisville for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding10 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$21K to the Village of Otisville for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2003Snow$6K to the Village of Otisville for repairs
  2. 2002Snowstorms$4K to the Village of Otisville for repairs
  3. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$18K to the Village of Otisville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OtisvilleOrange County only

Orange County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2024.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Otisville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Otisville 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 Otisville

Is Otisville 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 Orange County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Otisville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Otisville, Hurricane Irene (2011): 50 households applied for aid, $172K approved, and $58K to the Village of Otisville for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Otisville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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