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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Richfield Springs · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Richfield Springs than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richfield Springs gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 97%

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

more than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in New York · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
97% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 1978 · $203K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 20 declared for Otsego County
By hazard

What Richfield Springs 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Richfield Springs’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Richfield Springs’ grade

River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Richfield Springs, and Richfield Springs’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Richfield Springs sits
Richfield Springs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding97%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $663K a year in losses across Richfield Springs: $549K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Richfield Springs’ 1,050 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Richfield town (2,065 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 Richfield Springs flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Richfield Springs, from FEMA’s records: 19.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 5 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 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 claims200620112013
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $9K
10
paid claims since 1978
$203K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Otsego County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Richfield Springs

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

  1. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee6 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene19 households applied for aid$35K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $9K
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding99 households applied for aid$116K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Richfield SpringsOtsego County only

Otsego County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Richfield Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Richfield Springs archive →
Next door

Richfield Springs and its neighbors

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

Warren: hazard risk B−Richfield: hazard risk C−WarrenRichfieldRichfield Springs
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WarrenB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding—
RichfieldC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding15
Richfield SpringsC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding10

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 Richfield Springs 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 Richfield Springs

Is Richfield Springs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richfield Springs has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Richfield Springs flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Richfield Springs since 1978, $203K in all, or 19.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Richfield Springs 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 Otsego County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Richfield Springs?

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

By FEMA money that reached Richfield Springs, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 99 households applied for aid, $116K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $9K.

Is Richfield Springs at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Richfield Springs’ rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Richfield Springs.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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