Owasco Reformed Church · Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Owasco faces more hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Owasco gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #680 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims 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 Owasco 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 Owasco’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Owasco, and Owasco’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C #680 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Owasco’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, Owasco has more expected damage per building than 90% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Owasco: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Owasco flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Owasco, from FEMA’s records: 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Fred1 claim · $32K
Owasco isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cayuga County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Owasco
Disasters that paid out in Owasco itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Owasco), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$154K to the Town of Owasco for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $32K
- 2004Snow$6K to the Town of Owasco for repairs
Cayuga County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, 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 Owasco after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Owasco archive →Owasco and its neighbors
Owasco is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sennett | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Skaneateles | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Auburn | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Fleming | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Owasco | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Niles | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Melrose Park | — | 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 Owasco 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 Owasco
Is Owasco at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Owasco has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #680 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 Owasco flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Owasco since 1981, $36K in all, or 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Fred (1).
Is Owasco 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 Cayuga County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Owasco?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Owasco’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 Owasco?
By FEMA money that reached Owasco, Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred (2021): $154K to the Town of Owasco for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Fred: 1 paid, $32K.
Is Owasco at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Owasco’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Owasco.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Owasco’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.