Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Peekskill’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peekskill gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #263 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 32 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 stands out about Peekskill’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Peekskill 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
Earthquakes
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 Peekskill’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Peekskill, and Peekskill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #263 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Peekskill’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Peekskill has less expected damage per building than 65% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.8M a year in losses across Peekskill: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Peekskill flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Peekskill, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $199K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $17K
Peekskill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Westchester County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Peekskill
Disasters that paid out in Peekskill itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Peekskill), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida80 households applied for aid$51K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Sandy54 households applied for aid$19K aid approved$87K to the City of Peekskill for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $199K
- 2011Hurricane Irene53 households applied for aid$112K aid approved$66K to the City of Peekskill for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding10 households applied for aid$3K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$1.5M to the City of Peekskill for repairs
- 2003Snow$51K to the City of Peekskill for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 7
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$1.7M to the City of Peekskill for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $17K
Westchester County has had 23 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 Peekskill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Peekskill archive →Peekskill and its neighbors
Peekskill is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cortlandt | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 74 |
| Peekskill | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Stony Point | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 77 |
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 Peekskill 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Peekskill
Is Peekskill at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peekskill has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #263 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Peekskill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Peekskill since 1978, $506K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (2).
Is Peekskill 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 Westchester County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Peekskill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Peekskill’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 Peekskill?
By FEMA money that reached Peekskill, Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations (1999): $1.7M to the City of Peekskill for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 2 paid, $199K.
Is Peekskill at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Peekskill’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Peekskill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Peekskill’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.