Photo: Adam Moss from East Amherst, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Utica
Utica isn’t graded for hazard risk: Utica has 157 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1978.
What Utica 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 Utica flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Utica, from FEMA’s records.
Utica isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Venango County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Utica
Disasters that paid out in Utica itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Utica), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Venango County has had 12 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 Utica after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Utica archive →Utica and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frenchcreek Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Canal Township | — | 799 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.
Get ready for what Utica 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 Utica
Does Utica flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Utica since 1978, $4K in all.
Is Utica 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 Venango County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Utica?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Utica’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 Utica?
By FEMA money that reached Utica, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 1 households applied for aid, $2K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Utica.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Utica’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.