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Whitesboro, New York Commercial BuildingsPhoto: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Whitesboro · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Whitesboro faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitesboro gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #570 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 371 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 93%Strong wind 2%Earthquakes 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

more than 57%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#570 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
C+#570 of 758
in New York · higher than 57% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
371
paid since 1978 · $6.5M
Flooded more than once
91
properties · 24 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
10
of 21 declared for Oneida County

What stands out about Whitesboro’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

371 paid flood claims since 1978$6.5M in all; 91 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 98% of U.S. towns.Moved out of harm’s way4 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 2011103 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Whitesboro 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

93%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Tornadoes Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire 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 8% of Whitesboro’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 Whitesboro’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Whitesboro, and Whitesboro’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Whitesboro sits
Whitesboro
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #570 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Everything else7%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Whitesboro has more expected damage per building than 75% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $967K a year in losses across Whitesboro: $782K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Whitesboro’s 3,612 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 Whitesboro flood? Yes: 371 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Whitesboro, from FEMA’s records: 187.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 6 claims1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 19 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 2 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 6 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 7 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 103 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 66 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 69 claims2018: 3 claims2019: 72 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 6 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120172019
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene45 claims · $577K
  • Tropical Storm Lee40 claims · $613K
  • The December nor’easter3 claims · $20K
371
paid claims since 1978
$6.5M
paid to owners
91
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 2 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (24)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Whitesboro 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Whitesboro

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$134K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs72 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs69 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$28K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs66 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee154 households applied for aid$241K aid approved$22K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs40 flood claims paid for it, $613K
  5. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$5K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs
  6. 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$5K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  2. 2004Snow$5K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs
  3. 2003Ice Storm2 households applied for aid$618 aid approved$5K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs
  4. 2002Snowstorms$14K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WhitesboroOneida 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 Whitesboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Whitesboro archive →
Next door

Whitesboro and its neighbors

Whitesboro is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Yorkville: hazard risk BYorkvilleWhitesboro
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
YorkvilleBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding21
WhitesboroC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding371

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 Whitesboro 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 Whitesboro

Is Whitesboro at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitesboro has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #570 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Whitesboro flood?

Flood insurance has paid 371 claims in Whitesboro since 1978, $6.5M in all, or 187.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 91 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (45).

Is Whitesboro 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 Whitesboro?

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

By FEMA money that reached Whitesboro, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 154 households applied for aid, $241K approved, and $22K to the Village of Whitesboro for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 45 paid, $577K.

Is Whitesboro at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Whitesboro’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Whitesboro.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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