FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Oyster Bay Cove than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oyster Bay Cove gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 14 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 Oyster Bay Cove 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
Coastal 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 Oyster Bay Cove’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oyster Bay Cove, and Oyster Bay Cove’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oyster Bay Cove’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $831K a year in losses across Oyster Bay Cove: $779K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oyster Bay Cove flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oyster Bay Cove, from FEMA’s records: 18.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $278K
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $18K
Oyster Bay Cove isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nassau County.The storms Oyster Bay Cove remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Nassau County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oyster Bay Cove itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20102 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared for Nassau County
- 20122 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Nassau County
Nassau County has had 22 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 Oyster Bay Cove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oyster Bay Cove archive →Oyster Bay Cove and its neighbors
Oyster Bay Cove is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Hollow | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Oyster Bay Cove | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Syosset | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| East Norwich | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Cove Neck | — | 231 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Oyster Bay Cove 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Oyster Bay Cove
Is Oyster Bay Cove at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oyster Bay Cove has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (15%). 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 Oyster Bay Cove flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Oyster Bay Cove since 1978, $365K in all, or 18.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (2).
Is Oyster Bay Cove 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 Nassau County, 76% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oyster Bay Cove?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oyster Bay Cove’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 Oyster Bay Cove?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 2 paid, $278K.
Is Oyster Bay Cove at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Oyster Bay Cove’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oyster Bay Cove.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oyster Bay Cove’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.