On FEMA’s figures, Port Dickinson faces less hazard damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port Dickinson gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1984.
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 Port Dickinson 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 Port Dickinson’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Port Dickinson, and Port Dickinson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Port Dickinson’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $403K a year in losses across Port Dickinson: $300K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Port Dickinson flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Port Dickinson, from FEMA’s records: 16.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee9 claims · $345K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $7K
Port Dickinson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Broome County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Port Dickinson
Disasters that paid out in Port Dickinson itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Port Dickinson), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$200K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs9 flood claims paid for it, $345K
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$7K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$34K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$19K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs
- 2003Snow$2K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs
Show all 7
- 2002Snowstorms$3K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs
Broome County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, 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 Port Dickinson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Port Dickinson archive →Port Dickinson and its neighbors
Port Dickinson is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickinson | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Port Dickinson | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Binghamton | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 281 |
| Fenton | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
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 Port Dickinson 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 Port Dickinson
Is Port Dickinson at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port Dickinson has lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Port Dickinson flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Port Dickinson since 1984, $363K in all, or 16.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (9).
Is Port Dickinson 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 Broome County, 1.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Port Dickinson?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Port Dickinson’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 Port Dickinson?
By FEMA money that reached Port Dickinson, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): $200K to the Village of Port Dickinson for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 9 paid, $345K.
Is Port Dickinson at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Port Dickinson’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Port Dickinson.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Port Dickinson’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.