Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Richfield faces more hazard damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richfield 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 15 claims here since 1993.
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 Richfield 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 Richfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Richfield, and Richfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Richfield’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Richfield: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Richfield flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Richfield, from FEMA’s records: 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee3 claims · $101K
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $50K
- The December nor’easter1 claim · $61K
Richfield 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Richfield
Disasters that paid out in Richfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Richfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Town of Richfield for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the Town of Richfield for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$12K to the Town of Richfield for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $101K
- 2011Hurricane Irene$11K to the Town of Richfield for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $50K
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$444K to the Town of Richfield for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Ice Storm$7K to the Town of Richfield for repairs
Show all 7
- 2002Snowstorms$14K to the Town of Richfield for repairs
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.
Old photos of Richfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Richfield archive →Richfield and its neighbors
Richfield is 7th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winfield | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Warren | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbia | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Springfield | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Otsego | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Richfield Springs | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Richfield | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Plainfield | — | not graded yet | |
| Exeter | — | 913 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.
Get ready for what Richfield 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 Richfield
Is Richfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richfield 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 flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Richfield since 1993, $433K in all, or 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (3).
Is Richfield 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?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Richfield’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 Richfield?
By FEMA money that reached Richfield, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 1 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $444K to the Town of Richfield for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 3 paid, $101K.
Is Richfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Richfield’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Richfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Richfield’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.