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Gen. William Floyd HouseGen. William Floyd House · Photo: Jack Boucher · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Western · FEMA

FEMA puts Western’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Western gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1999.

River and rain flooding 92%Strong wind 3%Ice storms 2%

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 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in New York · lower than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1999 · $13K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Oneida County
By hazard

What Western 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

92%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Winter storms Hail Wildfire Lightning 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 10% of Western’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 Western’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Western, and Western’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Western sits
Western
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $476K a year in losses across Western: $380K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Western’s 1,831 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ava town (680 residents) and Westernville CDP (144 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Western flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Western, from FEMA’s records: 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 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: 1 claim2026: 0 claims199920102025
19992026
3
paid claims since 1999
$13K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Oneida County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Western

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$1.1M to the Town of Western for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Western for repairs
  3. 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$15K to the Town of Western for repairs
  4. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$26K to the Town of Western for repairs
  5. 2004Snow$13K to the Town of Western for repairs
  6. 2002Snowstorms$15K to the Town of Western for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$212K to the Town of Western for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WesternOneida County only

Oneida County has had 21 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 Western after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Western archive →
Next door

Western and its neighbors

Western is 5th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lee: hazard risk B+Ava: not gradedSteuben: hazard risk B+Rome: hazard risk AFloyd: hazard risk A+Boonville: hazard risk A−LeeAvaSteubenRomeFloydBoonvilleWestern
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FloydA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding2
RomeAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding20
BoonvilleA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding5
SteubenB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding1
WesternB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding3
LeeB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding2
Ava—633 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Western 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 Western

Is Western at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Western has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Western flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Western since 1999, $13K in all, or 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Western 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 Oneida County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Western?

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

By FEMA money that reached Western, Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred (2021): $1.1M to the Town of Western for repairs.

Is Western at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Western’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Western.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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