Natural disaster risk in Delaware County, New York

New York · population 44,102 · FIPS 36025

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Delaware County has a composite risk score of 83.3 out of 100 — higher than 83% of US counties. It ranks 21 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are inland (riverine) flooding, landslide, winter weather.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Delaware County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 15 weeks in a row.

Drought in Delaware County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.

Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively moderate 83.3
Expected annual loss
About $35.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 77
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Very high 85.9
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively high 63.2

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Delaware County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 91
Landslide Relatively moderate 89
Winter weather Relatively moderate 72
Cold wave Relatively moderate 69
Hurricane Relatively low 76
Avalanche Relatively low 69
Tornado Relatively low 55
Strong wind Relatively low 51
Lightning Relatively low 49
Ice storm Relatively low 42
Hail Relatively low 38
Earthquake Very low 50
Heat wave Very low 21
Wildfire Very low 18
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Drought No rating
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Delaware County

Federal declarations that designated Delaware County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Delaware County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4825-NY (Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby), declared 24 Sep 2024.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4825-NY Major disaster Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby 24 Sep 2024 No

All FEMA declarations in New York, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.

How to read these ratings

  • Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
  • Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
  • Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
  • Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
  • Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
  • Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
  • "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).

About this data

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.

Questions

What is the natural disaster risk in Delaware County, New York?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Delaware County as relatively moderate, with a score of 83.3 out of 100 (higher than 83% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Delaware County?

The hazards rated highest for Delaware County are inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), landslide (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Delaware County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Delaware County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Delaware County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Delaware County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4825-NY (Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby), declared 24 Sep 2024.

Is Delaware County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Delaware County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 15 weeks in a row.

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