Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Unadilla

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Unadilla, New YorkPhoto: Tyler A. McNeil · CC BY 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Unadilla · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Unadilla than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unadilla gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 128 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 97%Hurricanes 1%Tornadoes 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 82%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 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
97% of expected building damage
Flood claims
128
paid since 1978 · $2.4M
Flooded more than once
25
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 20 declared for Otsego County

What stands out about Unadilla’s natural hazards

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

128 paid flood claims since 1978$2.4M in all; 25 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 98% of U.S. towns.Moved out of harm’s way3 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 200673 flood claims were paid for 2006 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Unadilla 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 15% of Unadilla’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Unadilla’s grade

River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Unadilla, and Unadilla’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Unadilla sits
Unadilla
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Unadilla’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding97%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $538K a year in losses across Unadilla: $423K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Unadilla covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Unadilla flood? Yes: 128 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Unadilla, from FEMA’s records: 223.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 73 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 48 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 claims197920062011
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Lee47 claims · $907K
  • The Torrential rain2 claims · $13K
128
paid claims since 1978
$2.4M
paid to owners
25
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Otsego County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Unadilla

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

  1. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee138 households applied for aid$349K aid approved$30K to the Village of Unadilla for repairs47 flood claims paid for it, $907K
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene15 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$10K to the Village of Unadilla for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding271 households applied for aid$754K aid approved$310K to the Village of Unadilla for repairs73 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$678 aid approved$3K to the Village of Unadilla for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2002Snowstorms$5K to the Village of Unadilla for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in UnadillaOtsego County only

Otsego County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Unadilla after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Unadilla archive →
Next door

Unadilla and its neighbors

Unadilla is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Sidney: hazard risk CUnadilla: hazard risk C−SidneyUnadillaUnadilla
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SidneyCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding31
UnadillaC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding34
UnadillaC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding128

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 Unadilla 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 Unadilla

Is Unadilla at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unadilla has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Unadilla flood?

Flood insurance has paid 128 claims in Unadilla since 1978, $2.4M in all, or 223.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 25 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (47).

Is Unadilla 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 Otsego County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Unadilla?

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

By FEMA money that reached Unadilla, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 271 households applied for aid, $754K approved, and $310K to the Village of Unadilla for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 47 paid, $907K.

Is Unadilla at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Unadilla’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Unadilla.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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