Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in St. James
St. James isn’t graded for hazard risk: St. James is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978.
What St. James 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
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.
Does St. James flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. James, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $24K
- The Late summer storms1 claim · $4K
St. James 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.The storms St. James remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Suffolk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. James itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19793 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19832 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20212 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Suffolk County
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 St. James after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. James archive →St. James and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithtown | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 225 |
| Head of the Harbor | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Village of the Branch | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Grove | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Brookhaven | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 3,825 |
| Nesconset | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Stony Brook | — | 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 St. James 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.
- 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 St. James
Does St. James flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in St. James since 1978, $47K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (2).
Is St. James 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 St. James?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. James’ 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 St. James?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 2 paid, $24K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. James.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. James’ 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.