Photo: Mrshllmx at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Saltaire
Saltaire isn’t graded for hazard risk: Saltaire has 8 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 330 claims here since 1978.
What Saltaire faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
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.
Does Saltaire flood? Yes: 330 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Saltaire, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy257 claims · $14.1M
- The “Halloween” storm25 claims · $222K
- The Blizzard of 199319 claims · $406K
Saltaire isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Suffolk County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Saltaire
Disasters that paid out in Saltaire itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Saltaire), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$8K to the Village of Saltaire for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy24 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$18.0M to the Village of Saltaire for repairs257 flood claims paid for it, $14.1M
- 2011Hurricane Irene1 households applied for aid$117K to the Village of Saltaire for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$47K to the Village of Saltaire for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$109K to the Village of Saltaire for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding Assoc W Td Ida and Nor’easter$2.0M to the Village of Saltaire for repairs
Show all 8
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$880K to the Village of Saltaire for repairs
- 2003Snow$870 to the Village of Saltaire for repairs
Suffolk County has had 26 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.
Old photos of Saltaire after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Saltaire archive →Get ready for what Saltaire faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Saltaire
Does Saltaire flood?
Flood insurance has paid 330 claims in Saltaire since 1978, $15.6M in all. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (257).
Is Saltaire 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 Suffolk County, 66% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Saltaire?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Saltaire’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 Saltaire?
By FEMA money that reached Saltaire, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 24 households applied for aid, $7K approved, and $18.0M to the Village of Saltaire for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 257 paid, $14.1M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Saltaire.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Saltaire’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.