Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY · CC BY-SA 2.0

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Preston · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Preston

Preston isn’t graded for hazard risk: Preston has 856 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006.

Flood claims

paid since 2006 · $75K

Disasters paid out here

of 24 declared for Chenango County

By hazard

What Preston 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

95%of expected building damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Smaller shares here

Hurricanes Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms 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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Preston flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2006

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

Paid flood claims, by year

2006

20062026

paid claims since 2006

$75K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$75K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chenango County.

Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Preston

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

2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$50K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$29K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2009Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2006Severe Storms and Flooding$30K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2006Severe Storms and Flooding$92K to the Town of Preston for repairs

Show all 11

2005Severe Storms and Flooding$74K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2003Ice Storm$3K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2003Snow$2K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2002Snowstorms$4K to the Town of Preston for repairs
2000Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Preston for repairs

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in PrestonChenango County only

Chenango County has had 24 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 Preston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Preston archive →

Next door

Preston and its neighbors

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

NorwichPlymouthMcDonoughOxfordPreston

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Plymouth	C⁻more damage than 76%	river and rain flooding	3
Oxford	C⁻more damage than 77%	river and rain flooding	9
Norwich	C⁻more damage than 79%	river and rain flooding	18
McDonough	—	946 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Preston 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 Preston

Does Preston flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Preston since 2006, $75K in all.

Is Preston 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 Chenango County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Preston?

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

By FEMA money that reached Preston, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $92K to the Town of Preston for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Preston.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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