Less hazard damage per building is expected in Saddle Rock than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Saddle Rock gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then coastal flooding (14%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Saddle Rock’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Saddle Rock 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
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Saddle Rock’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Saddle Rock, and Saddle Rock’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 14%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Saddle Rock’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $267K a year in losses across Saddle Rock: $239K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Saddle Rock flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Saddle Rock, from FEMA’s records: 53.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $114K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $6K
Saddle Rock isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nassau County.The storms Saddle Rock remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Nassau County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Saddle Rock itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19793 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19802 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20062 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Nassau County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical 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 Saddle Rock after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Saddle Rock archive →Saddle Rock and its neighbors
Saddle Rock is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Point | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 97 |
| Great Neck | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 103 |
| Saddle Rock | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Harbor Hills | — | 458 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Saddle Rock Estates | — | 485 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 Saddle Rock 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Saddle Rock
Is Saddle Rock at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Saddle Rock has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and coastal flooding (14%). 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 Saddle Rock flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Saddle Rock since 1979, $471K in all, or 53.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (2).
Is Saddle Rock 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 Nassau County, 76% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Saddle Rock?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Saddle Rock’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 Saddle Rock?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 2 paid, $114K.
Is Saddle Rock at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Saddle Rock’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Saddle Rock.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Saddle Rock’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.