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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Summit · FEMA

FEMA puts Summit’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summit gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2006.

River and rain flooding 95%Hurricanes 2%Tornadoes 2%

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 73%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 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2006 · $49K
Disasters paid out here
13
of 20 declared for Schoharie County
By hazard

What Summit 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

95%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Summit’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Summit, and Summit’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Summit sits
Summit
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $476K a year in losses across Summit: $427K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Summit’s 1,072 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Richmondville town (2,466 residents) and Richmondville village (858 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 Summit flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2006

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Summit, from FEMA’s records: 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 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: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200620112013
20062026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $5K
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $19K
4
paid claims since 2006
$49K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Schoharie County.
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Summit

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene16 households applied for aid$15K aid approved$176K to the Town of Summit for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $19K
  3. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$6K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm$51K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$5K to the Town of Summit for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$23K to the Town of Summit for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$8K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  3. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$27K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  6. 2002Snowstorms$10K to the Town of Summit for repairs
  7. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$42K to the Town of Summit for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SummitSchoharie County only

Schoharie County has had 20 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 Summit after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Summit archive →
Next door

Summit and its neighbors

Summit is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Worcester: hazard risk DJefferson: hazard risk C−Richmondville: hazard risk CFulton: hazard risk C−Blenheim: not gradedWorcesterJeffersonRichmondvilleFultonBlenheimSummit
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RichmondvilleCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding5
SummitCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding4
JeffersonC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding—
FultonC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding25
WorcesterDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding5
Blenheim—305 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Summit 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 Summit

Is Summit at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summit has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Summit flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Summit since 2006, $49K in all, or 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).

Is Summit 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 Schoharie County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Summit?

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

By FEMA money that reached Summit, Hurricane Irene (2011): 16 households applied for aid, $15K approved, and $176K to the Town of Summit for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $5K.

Is Summit at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Summit’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Summit.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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