Delaware 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 1,291 flood insurance claims in Delaware County, New York since 1978. The NFIP paid $39.6 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 2006, with 445.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 27 claims, and the average paid claim was $13,275.
19% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 1.9% of homes in Delaware County, New York had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (534 of 28,660 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 23% (406 of 1,772).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 12 flood-related disaster declarations covering Delaware County, New York. The most recent was DR-4825-NY (Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby), declared September 24, 2024.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | $0 |
| 2025 | 1 | $0 |
| 2024 | 12 | $162,896 |
| 2023 | 2 | $134 |
| 2020 | 2 | $12,360 |
| 2019 | 3 | $8,520 |
| 2018 | 3 | $33,976 |
| 2017 | 3 | $7,783 |
| 2015 | 1 | $0 |
| 2014 | 1 | $0 |
| 2013 | 5 | $16,889 |
| 2012 | 4 | $0 |
| 2011 | 369 | $16.3 million |
| 2010 | 18 | $129,502 |
| 2009 | 1 | $3,174 |
| 2008 | 6 | $82,813 |
| 2007 | 2 | $4,106 |
| 2006 | 445 | $18.9 million |
| 2005 | 85 | $829,387 |
| 2004 | 67 | $1.1 million |
| 2003 | 6 | $34,355 |
| 2001 | 2 | $5,634 |
| 2000 | 5 | $3,366 |
| 1999 | 3 | $66,912 |
| 1998 | 2 | $5,716 |
| 1996 | 157 | $1.7 million |
| 1994 | 1 | $0 |
| 1993 | 2 | $0 |
| 1992 | 2 | $34,045 |
| 1991 | 1 | $0 |
| 1989 | 1 | $0 |
| 1987 | 8 | $10,321 |
| 1986 | 11 | $12,273 |
| 1985 | 4 | $8,593 |
| 1984 | 1 | $0 |
| 1983 | 5 | $4,585 |
| 1982 | 9 | $10,893 |
| 1981 | 13 | $35,103 |
| 1980 | 5 | $13,713 |
| 1979 | 17 | $32,287 |
| 1978 | 5 | $7,566 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Lee | 2011 | 238 | $9.6 million |
| Hurricane Irene | 2011 | 127 | $6.7 million |
| Flooding | 1996 | 134 | $1.6 million |
| Torrential rain | 2005 | 79 | $787,347 |
| Hurricane Debby | 2024 | 12 | $162,896 |
| December Storm - Nor'easter | 1992 | 2 | $34,045 |
| Flooding | 1981 | 10 | $25,673 |
| March 2010 Nor'easter | 2010 | 2 | $18,256 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 534 residential NFIP policies in Delaware County, against 28,660 residential buildings (1.9%). Of the 1,772 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 406 have an NFIP policy (23%). 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-4825-NY | Sep 24, 2024 | Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby | No |
| DR-4397-NY | Oct 1, 2018 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4180-NY | Jul 8, 2014 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-4129-NY | Jul 12, 2013 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-1993-NY | Jun 10, 2011 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | No |
| DR-1710-NY | Jul 2, 2007 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-1670-NY | Dec 12, 2006 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1650-NY | Jul 1, 2006 | Severe Storms and 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 |
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.