Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Wawayanda than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wawayanda gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #214 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1978.
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 Wawayanda 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 Wawayanda’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wawayanda, and Wawayanda’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
A #214 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wawayanda’s residents live in 2 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, Wawayanda has less expected damage per building than 72% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Wawayanda: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wawayanda flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wawayanda, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $96K
- The April 2007 nor’easter2 claims · $5K
- The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $6K
Wawayanda isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orange County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wawayanda
Disasters that paid out in Wawayanda itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wawayanda), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$338K to the Town of Wawayanda for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$91K to the Town of Wawayanda for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$74K to the Town of Wawayanda for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $96K
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$55K to the Town of Wawayanda for repairs
- 2003Snow$23K to the Town of Wawayanda for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$16K to the Town of Wawayanda for repairs
Orange County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2024.
Old photos of Wawayanda after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wawayanda archive →Wawayanda and its neighbors
Wawayanda is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Greenville | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Wallkill | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Wawayanda | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Mount Hope | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Middletown | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| Minisink | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Warwick | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
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 Wawayanda 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 Wawayanda
Is Wawayanda at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wawayanda has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #214 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wawayanda flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Wawayanda since 1978, $119K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (4).
Is Wawayanda 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 Orange County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wawayanda?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wawayanda’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 Wawayanda?
By FEMA money that reached Wawayanda, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $338K to the Town of Wawayanda for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 4 paid, $96K.
Is Wawayanda at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Wawayanda’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wawayanda.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wawayanda’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.