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 puts Wawarsing’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wawarsing gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #684 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 75 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 Wawarsing 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
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 Wawarsing’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wawarsing, and Wawarsing’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #684 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wawarsing’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Wawarsing has more expected damage per building than 90% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.8M a year in losses across Wawarsing: $8.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wawarsing flood? Sometimes: 75 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wawarsing, from FEMA’s records: 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene32 claims · $1.4M
- The Torrential rain27 claims · $851K
- The April 2007 nor’easter4 claims · $31K
Wawarsing isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ulster County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wawarsing
Disasters that paid out in Wawarsing itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wawarsing), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$53K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy2 households applied for aid$133K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $60K
- 2011Hurricane Irene14 households applied for aid$36K aid approved$280K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs32 flood claims paid for it, $1.4M
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$2K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding1 households applied for aid$158K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$28K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs
Show all 11
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$596K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs27 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs
- 2003Snow$23K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$55K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$31K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $965
Ulster County has had 28 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 Wawarsing after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wawarsing archive →Wawarsing and its neighbors
Wawarsing is 8th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawangunk | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Fallsburg | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Mamakating | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Rochester | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Gardiner | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Neversink | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Ellenville | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Wawarsing | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 75 |
| Cragsmoor | — | 481 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Walker Valley | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Denning | — | 587 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 Wawarsing 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.
- 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 Wawarsing
Is Wawarsing at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wawarsing has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #684 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wawarsing flood?
Flood insurance has paid 75 claims in Wawarsing since 1980, $2.4M in all, or 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 20 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (32).
Is Wawarsing 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 Ulster County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wawarsing?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wawarsing’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 Wawarsing?
By FEMA money that reached Wawarsing, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): 5 households applied for aid, $6K approved, and $596K to the Town of Wawarsing for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 32 paid, $1.4M.
Is Wawarsing at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Wawarsing’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wawarsing.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wawarsing’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.