Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Union Vale than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Vale gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #336 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then hurricanes (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Union Vale’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Union Vale 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 Union Vale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union Vale, and Union Vale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 20% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #336 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Union Vale’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, Union Vale has less expected damage per building than 56% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Union Vale: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union Vale flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Union Vale. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Union Vale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dutchess County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Union Vale
Disasters that paid out in Union Vale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Union Vale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$565K to the Town of Union Vale for repairs
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida$46K to the Town of Union Vale for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$35K to the Town of Union Vale for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$19K to the Town of Union Vale for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$7K to the Town of Union Vale for repairs
- 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Union Vale for repairs
Dutchess 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.
Old photos of Union Vale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Union Vale archive →Union Vale and its neighbors
Union Vale has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Vale | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Washington | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| LaGrange | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Beekman | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Dover | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
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 Union Vale 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 Union Vale
Is Union Vale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union Vale has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #336 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and hurricanes (20%). 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.
Is Union Vale 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 Dutchess County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Union Vale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union Vale’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 Union Vale?
By FEMA money that reached Union Vale, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $565K to the Town of Union Vale for repairs.
Is Union Vale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Union Vale’s rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union Vale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union Vale’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.