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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in St. Johnsville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, St. Johnsville faces more hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Johnsville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 96%Hurricanes 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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in New York · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
20
paid since 1978 · $410K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 19 declared for Montgomery County

What stands out about St. Johnsville’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.3% of the damage it expects.Remembers 200614 flood claims were paid for 2006 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What St. Johnsville 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Landslides top 2% Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
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 St. Johnsville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Johnsville, and St. Johnsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where St. Johnsville sits
St. Johnsville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $980K a year in losses across St. Johnsville: $880K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of St. Johnsville’s 1,643 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with St. Johnsville town (2,598 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 St. Johnsville flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Johnsville, from FEMA’s records: 24.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 14 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 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 claims197820062007
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The December Storm - nor’easter1 claim · $38K
  • The “Halloween” storm1 claim · $702
20
paid claims since 1978
$410K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Montgomery County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Johnsville

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

  1. 2011Hurricane Irene5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding189 households applied for aid$312K aid approved14 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes4 households applied for aid$146 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. JohnsvilleMontgomery County only

Montgomery County has had 19 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 St. Johnsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Johnsville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what St. Johnsville 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 St. Johnsville

Is St. Johnsville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Johnsville has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 St. Johnsville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in St. Johnsville since 1978, $410K in all, or 24.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from December Storm - Nor'easter (1).

Is St. Johnsville 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 Montgomery County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. Johnsville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Johnsville’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 St. Johnsville?

By FEMA money that reached St. Johnsville, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 189 households applied for aid, $312K approved. By flood claims, December Storm - Nor'easter: 1 paid, $38K.

Is St. Johnsville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and St. Johnsville’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Johnsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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