Photo: JB82 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Stillwater faces more hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stillwater gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1998.
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 Stillwater 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 Stillwater’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stillwater, and Stillwater’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Stillwater’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $916K a year in losses across Stillwater: $831K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Stillwater flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stillwater, from FEMA’s records: 11.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $16K
Stillwater isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Saratoga County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Stillwater
Disasters that paid out in Stillwater itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Stillwater), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Village of Stillwater for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene8 households applied for aid$19K aid approved$4K to the Village of Stillwater for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$17K to the Village of Stillwater for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$74K to the Village of Stillwater for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$19K to the Village of Stillwater for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$3K to the Village of Stillwater for repairs
Saratoga County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, 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 Stillwater after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stillwater archive →Stillwater and its neighbors
Stillwater is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Schaghticoke | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Stillwater | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Stillwater | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Stillwater 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 Stillwater
Is Stillwater at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stillwater has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D 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 Stillwater flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Stillwater since 1998, $80K in all, or 11.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (1).
Is Stillwater 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 Saratoga County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Stillwater?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Stillwater’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 Stillwater?
By FEMA money that reached Stillwater, Severe Winter Storm (2008): $74K to the Village of Stillwater for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 1 paid, $16K.
Is Stillwater at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Stillwater’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stillwater.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stillwater’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.