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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ravena · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ravena faces less hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ravena gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #55 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 77%Hurricanes 9%Earthquakes 6%

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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#55 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A+#55 of 758
in New York · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2011 · $23K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 16 declared for Albany County
By hazard

What Ravena 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

77%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 15% of Ravena’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (4.6%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Ravena’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ravena, and Ravena’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Ravena sits
Ravena
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #55 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Hurricanes9%Earthquakes6%Everything else8%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ravena has less expected damage per building than 93% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $487K a year in losses across Ravena: $331K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ravena’s 3,271 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 Ravena flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ravena, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim201120202026
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $1K
3
paid claims since 2011
$23K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Albany County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ravena

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Village of Ravena for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene25 households applied for aid$76K aid approved$19K to the Village of Ravena for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $1K
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$37K to the Village of Ravena for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding5 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$5K to the Village of Ravena for repairs
  5. 2002Snowstorms$15K to the Village of Ravena for repairs
  6. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$11K to the Village of Ravena for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RavenaAlbany County only

Albany County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe 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 Ravena after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Ravena archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ravena 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Ravena

Is Ravena at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ravena has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #55 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Ravena flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ravena since 2011, $23K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Ravena 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 Albany County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ravena?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ravena, Hurricane Irene (2011): 25 households applied for aid, $76K approved, and $19K to the Village of Ravena for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $1K.

Is Ravena at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Ravena’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ravena.

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