Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church · Photo: Jaredcarter1210 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Remsen than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Remsen gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Remsen 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 Remsen’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Remsen, and Remsen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Remsen’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $481K a year in losses across Remsen: $389K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Remsen flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Remsen. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Remsen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oneida County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Remsen
Disasters that paid out in Remsen itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Remsen), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Remsen for repairs
- 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$11K to the Town of Remsen for repairs
- 2004Snow$9K to the Town of Remsen for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$3K to the Town of Remsen for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$4K to the Town of Remsen for repairs
Oneida County has had 21 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.
Old photos of Remsen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Remsen archive →Remsen and its neighbors
Remsen is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boonville | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Trenton | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Steuben | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Remsen | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Russia | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Forestport | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Remsen 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 Remsen
Is Remsen at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Remsen has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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.
Is Remsen 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 Oneida County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Remsen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Remsen’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 Remsen?
By FEMA money that reached Remsen, Record Snow and Near Record Snow (2007): $11K to the Town of Remsen for repairs.
Is Remsen at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Remsen’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Remsen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Remsen’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.