Less hazard damage per building is expected in Palermo than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palermo gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #351 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2009.
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 Palermo 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 Palermo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palermo, and Palermo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #351 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Palermo’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, Palermo has less expected damage per building than 54% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $529K a year in losses across Palermo: $432K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Palermo flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palermo, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Palermo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oswego County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Palermo
Disasters that paid out in Palermo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Palermo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Ice Storm2 households applied for aid$756 aid approved
Oswego County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter 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 Palermo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palermo archive →Palermo and its neighbors
Palermo is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volney | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mexico | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Palermo | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hastings | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Schroeppel | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
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 Palermo 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 Palermo
Is Palermo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palermo has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #351 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Palermo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Palermo since 2009, $14K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Palermo 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 Oswego County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Palermo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palermo’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 Palermo?
By FEMA money that reached Palermo, Ice Storm (2003): 2 households applied for aid, $756 approved.
Is Palermo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Palermo’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palermo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palermo’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.