Less hazard damage per building is expected in Varick than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Varick gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1980.
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 Varick 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 Varick’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Varick, and Varick’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Varick’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $468K a year in losses across Varick: $364K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Varick flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Varick, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Varick isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Seneca County.The storms Varick remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Seneca County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Varick itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19932 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Blizzard, declared for Seneca County
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20151 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Seneca County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter 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 Varick after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Varick archive →Varick and its neighbors
Varick is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romulus | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Ledyard | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Varick | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Geneva | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Benton | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Fayette | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Varick 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 Varick
Is Varick at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Varick has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Varick flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Varick since 1980, $17K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Varick 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 Seneca County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Varick?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Varick’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Varick at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Varick’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Varick.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Varick’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.