Natural disaster risk in Rockland County, New York

New York · population 338,294 · FIPS 36087

Overall: relatively moderate risk

Rockland County has a composite risk score of 88.4 out of 100 — higher than 88% of US counties. It ranks 13 of 62 in New York (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, winter weather, lightning.

Drought now: No: no drought or dryness

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Rockland County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 8 weeks in a row.

Drought in Rockland 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 88.4
Expected annual loss
About $60.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively moderate 86.4
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively high 68.2
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively high 69.1

Risk by hazard

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

HazardRisk rating and score
Strong wind Relatively high 97
Winter weather Relatively high 94
Lightning Relatively high 91
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 91
Heat wave Relatively moderate 90
Cold wave Relatively moderate 86
Hurricane Relatively moderate 85
Ice storm Relatively moderate 78
Tornado Relatively moderate 77
Coastal flooding Relatively moderate 64
Earthquake Relatively low 88
Landslide Very low 61
Avalanche Very low 35
Drought Very low 21
Hail Very low 14
Wildfire Very low 14
Tsunami Insufficient data
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Rockland County

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

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Rockland County.

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 Rockland County, New York?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Rockland County as relatively moderate, with a score of 88.4 out of 100 (higher than 88% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Rockland County?

The hazards rated highest for Rockland County are strong wind (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).

What is the flood risk in Rockland County?

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

Has Rockland County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Rockland County.

Is Rockland County in a drought?

No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Rockland County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 8 weeks in a row.

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