Natural disaster risk in Nassau County, New York

New York · population 1,395,584 · FIPS 36059

Overall: relatively high risk

Nassau County has a composite risk score of 97.1 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 7 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, ice storm, winter weather.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Nassau County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.

Drought in Nassau 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 high 97.1
Expected annual loss
About $298.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively high 97.7
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively low 25.9
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very high 97

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Coastal flooding Very high 98
Ice storm Very high 98
Winter weather Very high 98
Lightning Very high 97
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively high 98
Strong wind Relatively high 97
Hurricane Relatively high 95
Cold wave Relatively high 92
Earthquake Relatively moderate 96
Heat wave Relatively moderate 95
Tornado Relatively moderate 76
Landslide Relatively low 75
Wildfire Very low 43
Hail Very low 23
Drought Very low 17
Avalanche Not applicable
Tsunami Insufficient data
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Nassau County

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

Yes. Nassau County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4755-NY (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 30 Jan 2024.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4755-NY Major disaster Severe Storm and Flooding 30 Jan 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 Nassau County, New York?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Nassau County as relatively high, with a score of 97.1 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Nassau County?

The hazards rated highest for Nassau County are coastal flooding (very high), ice storm (very high), winter weather (very high).

What is the flood risk in Nassau County?

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

Has Nassau County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Nassau County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4755-NY (Severe Storm and Flooding), declared 30 Jan 2024.

Is Nassau County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Nassau County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 3 weeks in a row.

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