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Gallupville HouseGallupville House · Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, Upstate New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wright · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Wright than in 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wright gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 95%Hurricanes 2%Tornadoes 1%

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 79%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in New York · higher than 79% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 1996 · $255K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
11
of 20 declared for Schoharie County
By hazard

What Wright 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

95%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Wright’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wright, and Wright’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wright sits
Wright
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $754K a year in losses across Wright: $642K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Wright’s 1,516 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Middleburgh town (3,112 residents) and Middleburgh village (1,131 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 Wright flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wright, from FEMA’s records: 11.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 6 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 claims199619992011
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene6 claims · $241K
  • Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $2K
9
paid claims since 1996
$255K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Schoharie County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wright

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

  1. 2011Hurricane Irene$910K to the Town of Wright for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $241K
  2. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$32K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$50K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$190K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$198K to the Town of Wright for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  3. 2002Snowstorms$14K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  4. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$642K to the Town of Wright for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$19K to the Town of Wright for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WrightSchoharie County only

Schoharie County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical 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 Wright after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Wright archive →
Next door

Wright and its neighbors

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

Schoharie: hazard risk CKnox: hazard risk AMiddleburgh: hazard risk C−Duanesburg: hazard risk ABerne: hazard risk B−SchoharieKnoxMiddleburghDuanesburgBerneWright
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DuanesburgAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding7
KnoxAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
BerneB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding3
SchoharieCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding23
MiddleburghC−more damage than 79%river and rain flooding68
WrightC−more damage than 79%river and rain flooding9

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 Wright 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 Wright

Is Wright at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wright has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Wright flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Wright since 1996, $255K in all, or 11.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (6).

Is Wright 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 Schoharie County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Wright?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wright, Hurricane Irene (2011): $910K to the Town of Wright for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 6 paid, $241K.

Is Wright at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Wright’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wright.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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