Photo: LINYperson615 · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in University Gardens
University Gardens isn’t graded for hazard risk: University Gardens is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1978.
What University Gardens 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
Earthquakes
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.
Does University Gardens flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in University Gardens, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida4 claims · $78K
- The April 2007 nor’easter1 claim · $3K
University Gardens isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nassau County.The storms University Gardens remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Nassau County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching University Gardens itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20214 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Nassau County
- 19803 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19873 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Nassau County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, 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 University Gardens after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the University Gardens archive →University Gardens and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Success | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| North Hempstead | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 189 |
| Great Neck Plaza | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| New York | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 36,272 |
| Great Neck Estates | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Russell Gardens | — | 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 University Gardens 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 University Gardens
Does University Gardens flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in University Gardens since 1978, $173K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (4).
Is University Gardens 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 Nassau County, 76% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in University Gardens?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for University Gardens’ 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 University Gardens?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 4 paid, $78K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in University Gardens.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where University Gardens’ 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.