Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Warren as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warren gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Warren 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 Warren’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Warren, and Warren’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Warren’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $339K a year in losses across Warren: $298K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Warren flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Warren. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Warren isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Herkimer County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Warren
Disasters that paid out in Warren itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Warren), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Warren for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$24K to the Town of Warren for repairs
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$7K to the Town of Warren for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Warren for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$6K to the Town of Warren for repairs
Herkimer County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Warren after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Warren archive →Warren and its neighbors
Warren is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Warren | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Springfield | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Richfield | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Richfield Springs | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| German Flatts | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Stark | — | 685 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Springfield Center | — | 244 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Warren 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 Warren
Is Warren at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warren has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Warren 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 Herkimer County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Warren?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Warren’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 Warren?
By FEMA money that reached Warren, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $25K to the Town of Warren for repairs.
Is Warren at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Warren’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Warren.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Warren’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.