Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in West Hempstead
West Hempstead isn’t graded for hazard risk: West Hempstead is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1979.
What West Hempstead 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.
Does West Hempstead flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in West Hempstead, from FEMA’s records.
- The Late summer storms1 claim · $1K
West Hempstead isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nassau County.The storms West Hempstead remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Nassau County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching West Hempstead itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19795 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19802 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Nassau County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical 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.
Old photos of West Hempstead after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the West Hempstead archive →West Hempstead and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Hempstead | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Franklin Square | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Lakeview | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Malverne Park Oaks | — | 635 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 West Hempstead 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 West Hempstead
Does West Hempstead flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in West Hempstead since 1979, $41K in all. The most claims came from Late summer storms (1).
Is West Hempstead 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 Nassau County, 76% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in West Hempstead?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Hempstead’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 Hempstead?
By flood claims, Late summer storms: 1 paid, $1K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Hempstead.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West Hempstead’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.