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Orleans - 9-13-25Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Orleans · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Orleans

Orleans isn’t graded for hazard risk: Orleans has 809 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2011.

Flood claims
5
paid since 2011 · $1.1M
Disasters paid out here
5
of 29 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Orleans 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 · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms top 5% Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Orleans flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orleans, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 3 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20112023
20112026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding3 claims · $1.1M
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $25K
5
paid claims since 2011
$1.1M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$225K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orleans

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  2. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides9 households applied for aid$59K aid approved
  3. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides40 households applied for aid$138K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $25K
  5. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OrleansOrleans County only

Orleans County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Orleans after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Orleans archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Orleans 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 Orleans

Does Orleans flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Orleans since 2011, $1.1M in all. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (3).

Is Orleans 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 Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Orleans?

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

By FEMA money that reached Orleans, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 40 households applied for aid, $138K approved. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 3 paid, $1.1M.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orleans.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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