Photo: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Union Springs’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Springs gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1979.
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 Union Springs 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 Union Springs’ grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Springs, and Union Springs’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Union Springs’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $291K a year in losses across Union Springs: $237K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union Springs flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Union Springs, from FEMA’s records: 25.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $5K
Union Springs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cayuga County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Union Springs
Disasters that paid out in Union Springs itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Union Springs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$411K to the Village of Union Springs for repairs
- 2004Snow$2K to the Village of Union Springs for repairs
Cayuga County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, 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 Union Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Union Springs archive →Get ready for what Union Springs 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 Union Springs
Is Union Springs at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Springs has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Union Springs flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Union Springs since 1979, $155K in all, or 25.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).
Is Union Springs 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 Cayuga County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Union Springs?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union Springs’ 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 Union Springs?
By FEMA money that reached Union Springs, Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred (2021): $411K to the Village of Union Springs for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Union Springs at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Union Springs’ rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Springs.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union Springs’ 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.