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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Brooklyn · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Brooklyn than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brooklyn gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 72%Tornadoes 14%Hail 12%

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

less than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Wisconsin · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 14 declared for Green County
By hazard

What Brooklyn 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

72%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Lightning Ice storms Hurricanes Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 22% of Brooklyn’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Brooklyn’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brooklyn, and Brooklyn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Brooklyn sits
Brooklyn
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Brooklyn’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Tornadoes14%Hail12%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $684K a year in losses across Brooklyn: $427K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Brooklyn covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Brooklyn flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brooklyn. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Green County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brooklyn

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

  1. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Village of Brooklyn for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding35 households applied for aid$69K aid approved$13K to the Village of Brooklyn for repairs
  3. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$3K to the Village of Brooklyn for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  5. 2000Snow$1K to the Village of Brooklyn for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$1K to the Village of Brooklyn for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BrooklynGreen County only

Green County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Brooklyn archive →
Next door

Brooklyn and its neighbors

Brooklyn is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Rutland: hazard risk AOregon: hazard risk ABrooklyn: hazard risk BRutlandOregonBrooklynBrooklyn
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
OregonAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding11
RutlandAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding4
BrooklynA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding0
BrooklynBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding—

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 Brooklyn 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Brooklyn

Is Brooklyn at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brooklyn has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Brooklyn 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 Green County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Brooklyn?

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

By FEMA money that reached Brooklyn, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 35 households applied for aid, $69K approved, and $13K to the Village of Brooklyn for repairs.

Is Brooklyn at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Brooklyn’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brooklyn.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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