Liverpool Cemetery · Photo: Kristalia.s · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Salina faces less hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salina gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #148 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1982.
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 Salina 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 Salina’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Salina, and Salina’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
A #148 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Salina’s residents live in 10 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Salina has less expected damage per building than 81% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across Salina: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Salina flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Salina, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Fred3 claims · $18K
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $1K
Salina isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Onondaga County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Salina
Disasters that paid out in Salina itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Salina), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Ice Storm$57K to the Town of Salina for repairs
Onondaga County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, 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 Salina after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Salina archive →Salina and its neighbors
Salina has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salina | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| DeWitt | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| Geddes | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Clay | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Syracuse | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 93 |
| Lysander | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Lyncourt | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Galeville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Salina 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 Salina
Is Salina at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salina has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #148 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Salina flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Salina since 1982, $47K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Fred (3).
Is Salina 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 Onondaga County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Salina?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Salina’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 Salina?
By FEMA money that reached Salina, Ice Storm (2003): $57K to the Town of Salina for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Fred: 3 paid, $18K.
Is Salina at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Salina’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Salina.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Salina’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.