Area guideBabylon
Water Damage Restoration Help in Babylon, NY
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The village of Babylon · Town of Babylon
Water in the basement, a burst pipe, or sewage backing up into the house? Call and we'll connect you with a local specialist who covers Babylon, even if you don't know the cause yet.
Water doesn't stay where it lands. It soaks into drywall, insulation and flooring, and mold can start within 24 to 48 hours.
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Since 1978, federal flood insurance has paid $131.6 million on 2,715 claims in ZIP 11702, which takes in Babylon, so water has reached homes here before.
This page is about the village of Babylon — population 12,166. If you meant the Town of Babylon, which also covers West Babylon, Deer Park, Lindenhurst, Copiague and 8 more, start from the list of every area we cover. The measurements on this page are for the village of Babylon, not the whole town.
Babylon at a glanceTap a figure to see it on the map
Flood risk: Very HighFlood zone. 974 of the 4,572 addresses here are inside FEMA's mapped flood zone. 401 more are within about 100 ft of its edge.
If your home is in it, most mortgage lenders must require flood insurance. That is a separate policy from homeowner's insurance, which usually covers a burst pipe or leaking appliance.
The percentage above counts all developed land, including lawns, parks and roads, not just homes.
Each square is about 350 ft across. Color shows how many of its addresses are mapped inside the zone:
- Fewer than half
- Half or more
- All
Groundwater. At 4,529 of the 4,531 addresses measured here, groundwater is within 14 ft of the surface, close enough to reach a basement floor.
In those basements, water can seep up through the floor and come back after pumping until the ground drains. The 2 measured deeper are the exception.
41 addresses fall where the groundwater map has no reading.
Each square is about 350 ft across. Color shows the typical depth under its addresses (USGS map, spring 2013):
- Within 10 ft4,059
- 10 to 14 ft470
- 14 to 25 ft2
Sewer. 4,299 of the 4,572 addresses in Babylon have a county sewer main mapped past them. That does not mean every house is connected.
Where a house is connected, a backup is a blocked line. A plumber clears the pipe to the street. The sewer district clears the main.
Each square is about 350 ft across. Color shows how many of its addresses have a mapped main:
- Fewer than half
- Half or more
- All
What is happening at your home?
Other water emergencies we cover
Not sure which one fits? Call (631) 440-4144 and tell us what you see.
Why water gets into Babylon homes
Babylon has two kinds of water risk. Outside, a hurricane or a hard nor'easter can drive surge into homes; inside the house, the risks are a blocked sewer line, water rising through the basement floor, a pipe that freezes and splits and an aging pipe giving way.
- Water coming in from outside. After surge water recedes, anything porous it touched (drywall, insulation, carpet) normally comes out, and photos taken before cleanup make the flood claim easier. Babylon sits in the path of storm surge: in a hurricane or a strong nor'easter, water from Great South Bay can be pushed into streets and ground floors, and 24.5% of its built-up land is in FEMA's flood zone. Look up your street. Storm Damage Restoration help
- Sewage coming up a drain. Keep children and pets away from sewage, and stop running water in the house until the line is clear, because every flush adds to what comes up. Homes in Babylon are on public sewer, so a backup usually starts in the line between the house and the street, or in a main that overloads in heavy rain; a backwater valve keeps the second out. Sewage Backup help in Babylon
- Water in the basement. Pumping the water out is only half the job: the basement has to be dried and the source handled, usually with a sump pump or sealing, or the water comes back. In Babylon, the water table is about 6 ft down, close enough to push water up through a basement floor, so a basement that has been pumped dry can fill again. Basement Flooding help in Babylon
- A burst pipe. If a pipe bursts, shut the main water valve first; a split supply line keeps running at full pressure until someone does. Pipes in outside walls, crawlspaces and unheated garages freeze first, and in Babylon's homes, about 70 years old on average, much of that plumbing predates modern insulation. Frozen Pipe Burst help in Babylon
- A leak in a wall or ceiling. Mold can start on wet drywall within a day or two, so a slow leak needs the wall opened and dried, not just the pipe fixed. About 76% of Babylon's homes were built before 1970, and pipes from that era, galvanized steel and cast iron, corrode from the inside until a joint or a section gives way. Ceiling & Roof Leak Water Damage help
Insurance and safety guidance from FEMA FloodSmart, the CDC and the Red Cross. How we measured the figures.
Street by street in Babylon
See how many of its addresses are mapped inside the FEMA flood zone, how deep groundwater is mapped under it, and whether a sewer main is mapped past it.
180 streets, from county address records. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Streets inside the FEMA flood zone
974 of 4,572 address points in Babylon are mapped inside a FEMA special flood hazard area. These streets hold the most of them:
- Fire Island Ave — 82 of 147 addresses
- Annuskemunnica Rd — 70 of 70 addresses
- Araca Rd — 54 of 54 addresses
- Bayview Ave — 54 of 54 addresses
- Little East Neck Rd S — 46 of 75 addresses
- Lighthouse Rd — 45 of 45 addresses
- Lee Ave — 42 of 42 addresses
- Cedar Ln — 35 of 38 addresses
Streets with a mapped sewer main
County records map an active sewer main past 4,299 of 4,572 address points in Babylon. On 167 streets nearly every address has one; the largest:
- Deer Park Ave — 159 addresses
- Fire Island Ave — 147 addresses
- Litchfield Ave — 106 addresses
- Livingston Ave — 106 addresses
- Park Ave — 104 addresses
- Cadman Ave — 85 addresses
- W Main St — 76 addresses
- Little East Neck Rd S — 75 addresses
Quick facts — Babylon
Flood and storm
- FEMA flood zone
- AE (100-yr floodplain)
- Hurricane evacuation zone
- Zone C Zones run A to E. A evacuates first.
- Hurricane Sandy high-water mark
- 6.6 ft The one mark USGS surveyed in Babylon after the 2012 storm, in feet above the NAVD88 datum — a reading at one point, not a level across all of Babylon. Ground elevation here averages 12 ft on the same datum.
- Water nearby
-
Great South Bay to the south, Argyle Lake to the north-west and Southards Pond to the north.
Each direction is to its nearest point, from the center of Babylon.
All 10 named water features
- North: Southards Pond
- North-east: Hawleys Lake
- East: Sampawams Creek
- South-east: Pamequa Canal
- South: Great South Bay, Carlls River
- South-west: Fosters Creek, West Babylon Creek
- North-west: Argyle Lake, Memorial Park Pond
Babylon's land area
- FEMA coastal wave zone (VE)
- FEMA 100-year floodplain (A, AE)
- The flood-zone figure above says how much of the land these zones cover.
Homes here
- Sewer status
- Sewered
- Home heating fuel
- 25% fuel oil Utility gas heats 66% of occupied homes in Babylon. Census estimates; the oil figure is within 6 points. An oil tank can float or tip in a flood and spill. That is a separate cleanup from the water (NYS DEC). In a cold snap, an empty tank means no heat.
- When homes were built
- Spread across decades The highlighted before-1940 band is the largest, at 28%, but its lead over the 1950s band (25%) is inside the Census margin of error (6 points), so no decade clearly leads in Babylon. Most homes here are over 30 years old. Past that age, an insurance-industry study (IBHS) found supply and drain pipe problems three times as likely.
In an emergency
- Nearest fire department
- Babylon Fire Department
- Nearest emergency shelter
- West Babylon Junior High SchoolNot every shelter opens for every storm, and the nearest may stay closed. Suffolk County announces which ones open; follow its alerts and local news before you go.
- ZIP code
- 11702
Sources: FEMA NFHL / NOAA SLOSH, US Census ACS, USDA SSURGO, Suffolk County records. Verified 2026-10-18. How we measured this.
Babylon and nearby areas
Babylon has the largest mapped floodplain share of the 5 areas compared here.
- Babylon 24.5%
- Lindenhurst 12.2%
- West Islip 6.9%
- West Babylon 6.2%
- North Babylon 0.4%
Share of developed area inside FEMA's mapped floodplain, largest first.
None of the other 4 areas compared here has shallower average groundwater than Babylon.
- Lindenhurst 6 ft
- Babylon 6 ft
- West Islip 8 ft
- North Babylon 10 ft
- West Babylon 12 ft
Average depth to groundwater, shallowest first.
Babylon has the lowest average ground of the 5 areas compared here.
- Babylon 12 ft
- Lindenhurst 13 ft
- West Islip 21 ft
- West Babylon 35 ft
- North Babylon 36 ft
Average height above sea level, lowest first.
Babylon measures 24.5% on flood-zone share, where its 4 neighbors average 6.4%. More of Babylon's developed land is in a mapped flood zone than in the areas around it. The second gap is sewer coverage: 100% against 85% next door. Babylon is more sewered than the areas around it.
Compared with the areas around Babylon. How we measured them.
Frequently asked questions about Babylon
Is Babylon in a flood zone?
Babylon's FEMA-mapped flood zone is AE (100-yr floodplain), covering about 24.5% of the developed area, per FEMA's flood map (NFHL).
Does Babylon have public sewer, or cesspools?
Babylon is on public sewer — about 100% of developed land sits inside an active sewer district, so backups here usually trace to the municipal main or your lateral.
Where is the nearest emergency shelter to Babylon?
The closest Suffolk County emergency shelter to Babylon is West Babylon Junior High School. Shelter openings vary by storm — confirm with Suffolk County OEM before traveling to one.
How deep is the water table in Babylon?
The measured water table runs about 6 ft below the surface on average across Babylon. It is mapped within 10 ft at 4,059 of 4,572 addresses and within 25 ft at 4,531.
About the figures for Babylon
Check them at the source
Who to call for water damage in Babylon
(631) 440-4144Tell us what is happening. We connect you with a local specialist who covers Babylon.