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AHazard risk
Natural hazards in West Carthage · FEMA

FEMA puts West Carthage’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Carthage gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 87%Earthquakes 4%Strong wind 4%

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

less than 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A
in New York · lower than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1993 · $10K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 15 declared for Jefferson County
By hazard

What West Carthage 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

87%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Tornadoes Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of West Carthage’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 West Carthage’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Carthage, and West Carthage’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Where West Carthage sits
West Carthage
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Earthquakes4%Strong wind4%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $310K a year in losses across West Carthage: $252K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of West Carthage’s 1,780 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 West Carthage flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in West Carthage, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 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 claims19931998
19932026
2
paid claims since 1993
$10K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Jefferson County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West Carthage

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

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$6K to the Village of West Carthage for repairs
  2. 1999Snow$6K to the Village of West Carthage for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in West CarthageJefferson County only

Jefferson County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. 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 West Carthage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the West Carthage archive →
Next door

West Carthage and its neighbors

West Carthage has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Carthage: hazard risk C−Wilna: hazard risk C−Champion: hazard risk ACarthageWilnaChampionWest Carthage
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
West CarthageAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding2
ChampionAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding2
WilnaC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding12
CarthageC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding17

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 West Carthage 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 West Carthage

Is West Carthage at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Carthage has lower expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). 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 West Carthage flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in West Carthage since 1993, $10K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is West Carthage 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 Jefferson County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in West Carthage?

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

By FEMA money that reached West Carthage, Snow (1999): $6K to the Village of West Carthage for repairs.

Is West Carthage at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and West Carthage’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Carthage.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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