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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Waterford · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Waterford than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waterford gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 185 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 96%Hurricanes 2%Earthquakes 1%

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

more than 91%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in New York · higher than 91% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
185
paid since 1978 · $3.5M
Flooded more than once
16
properties · 2 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 13 declared for Saratoga County

What stands out about Waterford’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

185 paid flood claims since 1978$3.5M in all; 16 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 98% of U.S. towns.Remembers 201190 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Waterford 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Waterford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Waterford, and Waterford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Waterford sits
Waterford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Waterford’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $830K a year in losses across Waterford: $713K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Waterford’s 2,038 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Waterford flood? Yes: 185 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Waterford, from FEMA’s records: 161.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 18 claims1980: 7 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 2 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 37 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 16 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 6 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 90 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919962011
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene85 claims · $2.7M
  • The Torrential rain6 claims · $32K
  • Tropical Storm Lee5 claims · $28K
185
paid claims since 1978
$3.5M
paid to owners
16
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Waterford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Saratoga County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waterford

Disasters that paid out in Waterford itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Waterford), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene241 households applied for aid$885K aid approved$69K to the Village of Waterford for repairs85 flood claims paid for it, $2.7M
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$6K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$17K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
  6. 2002Snowstorms$8K to the Village of Waterford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WaterfordSaratoga County only

Saratoga County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Waterford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Waterford archive →
Next door

Waterford and its neighbors

Waterford is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Waterford: hazard risk CTroy: hazard risk C−WaterfordTroyWaterford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WaterfordCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding116
TroyC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding129
WaterfordDmore damage than 91%river and rain flooding185

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Waterford faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Waterford

Is Waterford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waterford has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Waterford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 185 claims in Waterford since 1978, $3.5M in all, or 161.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 16 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (85).

Is Waterford 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 Saratoga County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Waterford?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Waterford’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 Waterford?

By FEMA money that reached Waterford, Hurricane Irene (2011): 241 households applied for aid, $885K approved, and $69K to the Village of Waterford for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 85 paid, $2.7M.

Is Waterford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Waterford’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waterford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Waterford’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.