Caspar Getman Farmstead · Photo: Mkratzschmar · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Palatine faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palatine gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #518 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.
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 Palatine 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 Palatine’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palatine, and Palatine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #518 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Palatine’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, Palatine has more expected damage per building than 68% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Palatine: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Palatine flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palatine, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Palatine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Montgomery County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Palatine
Disasters that paid out in Palatine itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Palatine), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Town of Palatine for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$21K to the Town of Palatine for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$9K to the Town of Palatine for repairs
Montgomery County has had 19 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.
Old photos of Palatine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palatine archive →Palatine and its neighbors
Palatine has the lowest expected damage per building of the 9 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatine | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Root | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Mohawk | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Ephratah | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Canajoharie | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Canajoharie | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| St. Johnsville | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Minden | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Fort Plain | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 86 |
| Nelliston | — | 707 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Palatine Bridge | — | 727 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 Palatine 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 Palatine
Is Palatine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palatine has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #518 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Palatine flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Palatine since 1979, $1K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Palatine 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 Montgomery County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Palatine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palatine’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 Palatine?
By FEMA money that reached Palatine, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $21K to the Town of Palatine for repairs.
Is Palatine at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Palatine’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palatine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palatine’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.