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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Scotchtown · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Scotchtown

Scotchtown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Scotchtown is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims
8
paid since 1978 · $38K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 25 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What Scotchtown 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

78%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Scotchtown’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Scotchtown flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Scotchtown, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819822011
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $5K
  • Hurricane Ida1 claim · $4K
  • The April 2007 nor’easter1 claim · $15K
8
paid claims since 1978
$38K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orange County.
Disasters

The storms Scotchtown remembers

None of the 25 disasters declared for Orange County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Scotchtown itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Orange County
  2. 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ScotchtownOrange County only

Orange County has had 25 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.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2024.

Were you here?

Old photos of Scotchtown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Scotchtown archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Scotchtown 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 Scotchtown

Does Scotchtown flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Scotchtown since 1978, $38K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Scotchtown 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 Orange County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Scotchtown?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $5K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Scotchtown.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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