–Not graded

Natural hazards in Port Ewen · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Port Ewen

Port Ewen isn’t graded for hazard risk: Port Ewen is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1980.

Flood claims

paid since 1980 · $30K

Disasters paid out here

of 28 declared for Ulster County

By hazard

What Port Ewen 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

79%of expected building damage

Below average · lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Smaller shares here

Tornadoes Coastal flooding top 5% Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Hail Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides

FEMA models no building damage here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 14% of Port Ewen’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (4.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Port Ewen flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Port Ewen, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

198020112012

19802026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $11K
Hurricane Irene1 claim · $18K

paid claims since 1980

$30K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$10K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Ulster County.

Disasters

The storms Port Ewen remembers

None of the 28 disasters declared for Ulster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Port Ewen itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
20111 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Ulster County
20121 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Ulster County

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in Port EwenUlster County only

Ulster County has had 28 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. 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 Port Ewen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Port Ewen archive →

Next door

Port Ewen and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

EsopusKingstonRhinebeckPort Ewen

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Esopus	A⁻less damage than 80%	river and rain flooding	9
Rhinebeck	A⁻less damage than 77%	river and rain flooding	5
Kingston	B⁻less damage than 51%	river and rain flooding	76

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 Port Ewen 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Port Ewen

Does Port Ewen flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Port Ewen since 1980, $30K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).

Is Port Ewen 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 Ulster County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Port Ewen?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $11K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Port Ewen.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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