Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Tuxedo as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tuxedo gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #530 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then hurricanes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Tuxedo’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tuxedo 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
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 Tuxedo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tuxedo, and Tuxedo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 2%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #530 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Tuxedo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tuxedo has more expected damage per building than 70% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Tuxedo: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tuxedo flood? Sometimes: 30 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tuxedo, from FEMA’s records: 22.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene10 claims · $806K
- The March 2010 nor’easter6 claims · $120K
- Hurricane Floyd5 claims · $157K
Tuxedo 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Tuxedo
Disasters that paid out in Tuxedo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Tuxedo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Hurricane Irene5 households applied for aid$15K aid approved10 flood claims paid for it, $806K
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.
Old photos of Tuxedo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tuxedo archive →Tuxedo and its neighbors
Tuxedo is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbury | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 59 |
| Monroe | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Ramapo | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 335 |
| Warwick | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
| Tuxedo | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Tuxedo | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Sloatsburg | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 54 |
| Woodbury | — | not graded yet | |
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 Tuxedo 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.
- 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 Tuxedo
Is Tuxedo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tuxedo has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #530 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 Tuxedo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 30 claims in Tuxedo since 1978, $1.3M in all, or 22.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (10).
Is Tuxedo 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 Tuxedo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tuxedo’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 Tuxedo?
By FEMA money that reached Tuxedo, Hurricane Irene (2011): 5 households applied for aid, $15K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 10 paid, $806K.
Is Tuxedo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Tuxedo’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tuxedo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tuxedo’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.