Photo: HYDROCHOERVS · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Williamstown as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williamstown gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Williamstown 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
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 Williamstown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Williamstown, and Williamstown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Williamstown’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $632K a year in losses across Williamstown: $598K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Williamstown flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Williamstown. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Williamstown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oswego County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Williamstown
Disasters that paid out in Williamstown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Williamstown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$13K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
- 2004Snow$5K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$4K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
Oswego County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter 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 Williamstown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Williamstown archive →Williamstown and its neighbors
Williamstown is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amboy | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Albion | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Orwell | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Williamstown | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Redfield | — | 386 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Florence | — | not graded yet | |
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 Williamstown 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.
- 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 Williamstown
Is Williamstown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williamstown has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Williamstown 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 Oswego County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Williamstown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Williamstown’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 Williamstown?
By FEMA money that reached Williamstown, Record Snow and Near Record Snow (2007): $13K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs.
Is Williamstown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Williamstown’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Williamstown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Williamstown’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.