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Buildings on Main Street, Salem, NYPhoto: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Salem · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Salem faces more hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salem gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #718 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 94%Hurricanes 3%Tornadoes 1%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#718 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
C−#718 of 758
in New York · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1996 · $43K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 9 declared for Washington County
By hazard

What Salem 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Landslides top 4% Lightning Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Salem’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Salem, and Salem’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Salem sits
Salem
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #718 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Salem has more expected damage per building than 95% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Salem: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Salem’s 2,612 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Salem CDP (811 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 Salem flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Salem, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 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 claims199620002011
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $41K
4
paid claims since 1996
$43K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Salem

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

  1. 2011Hurricane Irene106 households applied for aid$418K aid approved$95K to the Town of Salem for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $41K
  2. 2008Severe Winter Storm$52K to the Town of Salem for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SalemWashington County only

Washington County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical 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 Salem after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Salem archive →
Next door

Salem and its neighbors

Salem is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Jackson: hazard risk C+Hebron: hazard risk CGreenwich: hazard risk BRupert: not gradedJacksonHebronGreenwichRupertSalem
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GreenwichBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding1
JacksonC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding1
HebronCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding3
SalemC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding4
Rupert—676 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Salem 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 Salem

Is Salem at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salem has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #718 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Salem flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Salem since 1996, $43K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Salem 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 Washington County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Salem?

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

By FEMA money that reached Salem, Hurricane Irene (2011): 106 households applied for aid, $418K approved, and $95K to the Town of Salem for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $41K.

Is Salem at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Salem’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Salem.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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