Columbia County flood history
New York · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 245 flood insurance claims in Columbia County, New York since 1978. The NFIP paid $3.1 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 2011, with 54, mostly from Hurricane Irene.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 15 claims, and the average paid claim was $11,349.
30% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.6% of homes in Columbia County, New York had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (173 of 29,545 residential buildings).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 6 flood-related disaster declarations covering Columbia County, New York. The most recent was DR-1692-NY (Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding), declared April 24, 2007.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | $54,574 |
| 2024 | 1 | $6,570 |
| 2023 | 2 | $0 |
| 2022 | 1 | $0 |
| 2021 | 1 | $18,300 |
| 2017 | 1 | $0 |
| 2016 | 1 | $3,212 |
| 2014 | 3 | $96,335 |
| 2013 | 2 | $0 |
| 2012 | 4 | $252,935 |
| 2011 | 54 | $838,504 |
| 2009 | 22 | $456,017 |
| 2008 | 8 | $77,807 |
| 2007 | 12 | $132,382 |
| 2006 | 2 | $532 |
| 2005 | 14 | $93,227 |
| 2004 | 3 | $40,489 |
| 2001 | 2 | $6,822 |
| 2000 | 17 | $129,616 |
| 1999 | 6 | $39,630 |
| 1996 | 17 | $291,035 |
| 1995 | 5 | $21,347 |
| 1994 | 1 | $0 |
| 1993 | 3 | $83,169 |
| 1991 | 1 | $706 |
| 1990 | 7 | $148,316 |
| 1988 | 3 | $35,243 |
| 1987 | 3 | $46,583 |
| 1986 | 3 | $42,958 |
| 1984 | 12 | $35,003 |
| 1983 | 5 | $34,544 |
| 1982 | 3 | $8,276 |
| 1981 | 6 | $23,232 |
| 1980 | 4 | $15,104 |
| 1979 | 3 | $18,580 |
| 1978 | 4 | $17,930 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irene | 2011 | 35 | $560,146 |
| Flooding | 1996 | 16 | $291,035 |
| Hurricane Sandy | 2012 | 4 | $252,935 |
| April 2007 Nor'easter | 2007 | 11 | $132,382 |
| Tropical Storm Lee | 2011 | 7 | $83,279 |
| Torrential rain | 2005 | 9 | $73,668 |
| Flooding | 1987 | 3 | $46,583 |
| Flooding | 1981 | 6 | $23,232 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 173 residential NFIP policies in Columbia County, against 29,545 residential buildings (0.6%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-1692-NY | Apr 24, 2007 | Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1589-NY | Apr 19, 2005 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1564-NY | Oct 1, 2004 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1534-NY | Aug 3, 2004 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-1486-NY | Aug 29, 2003 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| DR-1335-NY | Jul 21, 2000 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of New York.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.