Safest places to live in New York from natural disasters
The lowest natural-disaster risk in New York is in Chemung County, Cortland County, Franklin County, where FEMA rates few or no severe perils. The most exposed county is Kings County, driven by riverine flooding. This page ranks every New York county by physical peril exposure, from official FEMA National Risk Index data.
Lowest-risk counties in New York
| County | Physical risk | Top severe peril |
|---|---|---|
| Chemung County | Low | none rated high |
| Cortland County | Low | none rated high |
| Franklin County | Low | none rated high |
| Fulton County | Low | none rated high |
| Hamilton County | Low | none rated high |
| Lewis County | Low | none rated high |
| Orleans County | Low | none rated high |
| Putnam County | Low | none rated high |
Highest-risk counties in New York
| County | Physical risk | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Kings County | High | riverine flooding |
| Nassau County | High | coastal flooding |
| New York County | High | riverine flooding |
| Queens County | High | riverine flooding |
| Suffolk County | High | coastal flooding |
Dominant perils in New York
Across New York, the perils most often rated Relatively High or higher by FEMA are riverine flooding, hurricane, coastal flooding. County rankings reflect physical exposure, not dollar value, so a county can rank low here even if it is densely developed. For a specific property, the flood zone and exact peril ratings matter more than the county summary.
Look up any New York address on the Safe Havens map, or read how Plattow scores risk and FEMA flood zones. See all states on the states index.