Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Upper Brookville’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Brookville gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (13%). 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 Upper Brookville 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.
What’s behind Upper Brookville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Upper Brookville, and Upper Brookville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Upper Brookville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $729K a year in losses across Upper Brookville: $680K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Upper Brookville flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Upper Brookville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Upper Brookville 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Upper Brookville
Disasters that paid out in Upper Brookville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Upper Brookville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida$57K to the Village of Upper Brookville for repairs
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$19K to the Village of Upper Brookville for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy2 households applied for aid$101K to the Village of Upper Brookville for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$32K to the Village of Upper Brookville for repairs
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 Upper Brookville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upper Brookville archive →Upper Brookville and its neighbors
Upper Brookville is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookville | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Muttontown | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Old Brookville | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Upper Brookville | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Mill Neck | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Matinecock | — | 867 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| East Norwich | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Upper Brookville 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 Upper Brookville
Is Upper Brookville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Upper Brookville has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Upper Brookville 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 Upper Brookville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upper Brookville’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 Upper Brookville?
By FEMA money that reached Upper Brookville, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 2 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $101K to the Village of Upper Brookville for repairs.
Is Upper Brookville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Upper Brookville’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upper Brookville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upper Brookville’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.