Phillip Paul Bliss House · Photo: Smallbones · CC0Storms, floods and disasters in Rome
Rome isn’t graded for hazard risk: Rome has 547 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 2004.
What Rome 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.
Does Rome flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rome, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $93K
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $2K
Rome isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bradford County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rome
Disasters that paid out in Rome itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Rome), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee134 households applied for aid$792K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $93K
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides16 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan10 households applied for aid$21K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
Bradford County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Rome after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rome archive →Get ready for what Rome 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 Rome
Does Rome flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Rome since 2004, $582K in all. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Rome 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 Bradford County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rome?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rome’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 Rome?
By FEMA money that reached Rome, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 134 households applied for aid, $792K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $93K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rome.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rome’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.