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Petersburg Baptist Church Petersburgh NYPhoto: Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Petersburgh · FEMA

FEMA puts Petersburgh’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Petersburgh gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 94%Hurricanes 3%Tornadoes 2%

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

more than 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in New York · higher than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2011 · $17K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Rensselaer County
By hazard

What Petersburgh 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Petersburgh’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Petersburgh, and Petersburgh’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Petersburgh sits
Petersburgh
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Petersburgh’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Hurricanes3%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $804K a year in losses across Petersburgh: $709K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Petersburgh’s 1,372 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Petersburgh flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Petersburgh, from FEMA’s records: 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2011
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $17K
2
paid claims since 2011
$17K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Petersburgh isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Rensselaer County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Petersburgh

Disasters that paid out in Petersburgh itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Petersburgh), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Town of Petersburgh for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene9 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$287K to the Town of Petersburgh for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $17K
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Town of Petersburgh for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$46K to the Town of Petersburgh for repairs
  5. 2002Snowstorms$11K to the Town of Petersburgh for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$184K to the Town of Petersburgh for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PetersburghRensselaer County only

Rensselaer County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Petersburgh after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Petersburgh archive →
Next door

Petersburgh and its neighbors

Petersburgh is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Berlin: hazard risk C−Pownal: hazard risk B−Grafton: hazard risk AHoosick: hazard risk B−Bennington: hazard risk B−BerlinPownalGraftonHoosickBenningtonPetersburgh
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GraftonAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding1
PownalB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding6
BenningtonB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding22
HoosickB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding2
BerlinC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding—
PetersburghDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding2

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Petersburgh faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Petersburgh

Is Petersburgh at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Petersburgh has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Petersburgh flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Petersburgh since 2011, $17K in all, or 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Petersburgh 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 Rensselaer County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Petersburgh?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Petersburgh’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 Petersburgh?

By FEMA money that reached Petersburgh, Hurricane Irene (2011): 9 households applied for aid, $29K approved, and $287K to the Town of Petersburgh for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $17K.

Is Petersburgh at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Petersburgh’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Petersburgh.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Petersburgh’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.