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First Presbyterian ChurchFirst Presbyterian Church · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Preble · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Preble as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Preble gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1981.

River and rain flooding 94%Ice storms 2%Tornadoes 1%

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

less than 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in New York · lower than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1981 · $11K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for Cortland County
By hazard

What Preble 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
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Tornadoes Hurricanes Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Winter storms 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 Preble’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Preble, and Preble’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Preble sits
Preble
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $408K a year in losses across Preble: $350K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Preble’s 1,357 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Scott town (1,077 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Preble flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Preble, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 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 claims198119942005
19812026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $3K
3
paid claims since 1981
$11K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cortland County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Preble

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$765K to the Town of Preble for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Town of Preble for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$21K to the Town of Preble for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$3K to the Town of Preble for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PrebleCortland County only

Cortland County has had 13 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 Preble after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Preble archive →
Next door

Preble and its neighbors

Preble is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Homer: hazard risk C−Tully: hazard risk AScott: hazard risk BTruxton: not gradedHomerTullyScottTruxtonPreble
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TullyAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding—
ScottBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding4
PrebleBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding3
HomerC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding7
Truxton—not graded yet

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 Preble 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 Preble

Is Preble at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Preble has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B 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 Preble flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Preble since 1981, $11K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).

Is Preble 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 Cortland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Preble?

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

By FEMA money that reached Preble, Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred (2021): $765K to the Town of Preble for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $3K.

Is Preble at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Preble’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Preble.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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