Area guideSouthold
Water Damage Restoration Help in Southold, NY
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The hamlet of Southold · Town of Southold
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 Southold, 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 $3.8 million on 345 claims in ZIP 11971, which takes in Southold, so water has reached homes here before.
This page is about the hamlet of Southold — population 5,747. If you meant the Town of Southold, which also covers Mattituck, Cutchogue, Greenport, Greenport West and 5 more, start from the list of every area we cover. The measurements on this page are for the hamlet of Southold, not the whole town.
Southold at a glanceTap a figure to see it on the map
Flood risk: HighFlood zone. 420 of the 4,640 addresses here are inside FEMA's mapped flood zone. 855 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 700 ft across. Color shows how many of its addresses are mapped inside the zone:
- Fewer than half
- Half or more
- All
Groundwater. At 1,812 of the 4,632 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. At the other 2,820, water in a basement usually comes in from above.
8 addresses fall where the groundwater map has no reading.
Each square is about 700 ft across. Color shows the typical depth under its addresses (USGS map, spring 2013):
- Within 10 ft1,173
- 10 to 14 ft639
- 14 to 25 ft1,769
- Deeper than 25 ft1,051
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 Southold homes
Water reaches Southold homes from outside and from within. From outside, it is flooding. Inside the house, the risks are a full or failing cesspool, pipes bursting in the cold, a wet basement and old plumbing leaking inside the walls.
- Water coming in from outside. A flood policy expects a signed proof of loss within 60 days of the flood, so document the damage and keep every cleanup receipt from the first day. In Southold, 16.4% of the built-up land is inside FEMA's flood zone, and homes there with a federally backed mortgage are required to carry flood insurance. Since 1978, policyholders in ZIP 11971 have filed 345 federal flood insurance claims, a record of flood water reaching buildings in this ZIP. Look up your street. Storm Damage Restoration help
- Sewage coming up a drain. Standard homeowners policies usually exclude sewage backup unless a water-backup endorsement was added, so check yours and photograph the damage before cleanup starts. Nearly every home in Southold runs on a cesspool or septic tank, so a backup here means sewage coming up through the lowest drain in the house. Cesspool Overflow help in Southold
- A burst pipe. With about 30% of its homes empty outside the season, Southold is a place where a burst pipe can run unnoticed for days, which is why shutting off the water and leaving the heat at 55°F matters before winter. Frozen Pipe Burst help in Southold
- Water in the basement. Anything kept on the basement floor is safer on shelves or pallets, because groundwater can rise into a basement with no sign of it outside. The 15 ft average hides a spread: on some Southold streets groundwater comes close enough to a basement floor to seep in after a wet spell. Basement Flooding help in Southold
- 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 49% of Southold'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 Southold
See how many of its addresses are mapped inside the FEMA flood zone and how deep groundwater is mapped under it.
248 streets, from county address records. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Streets inside the FEMA flood zone
420 of 4,640 address points in Southold are mapped inside a FEMA special flood hazard area. These streets hold the most of them:
- N Sea Dr — 45 of 45 addresses
- Leeton Dr — 34 of 34 addresses
- North Rd — 32 of 105 addresses
- Soundview Ave — 24 of 240 addresses
- Main Rd — 21 of 249 addresses
- Minnehaha Blvd — 17 of 62 addresses
- Windy Point Ln — 14 of 15 addresses
- Smith Dr S — 13 of 30 addresses
Quick facts — Southold
Flood and storm
- FEMA flood zone
- AE (100-yr floodplain)
- Hurricane evacuation zone
- Zone A Zones run A to E. A evacuates first.
- Hurricane Sandy high-water mark
- 6.9 ft The highest of 2 marks USGS surveyed in Southold after the 2012 storm, in feet above the NAVD88 datum — a reading at one point, not a level across all of Southold. Ground elevation here averages 14 ft on the same datum.
- Water nearby
-
Long Island Sound to the north, Hashamomuck Pond to the north-east and Corey Creek to the south.
Each direction is to its nearest point, from the center of Southold.
All 21 named water features
- North: Long Island Sound
- North-east: Hashamomuck Pond, Budds Pond, Long Creek, Mill Creek
- East: Pettys Pond
- South-east: Town Creek, Cedar Beach Harbor, Southold Bay, Shelter Island Sound, West Lake
- South: Corey Creek, Goose Creek, Little Peconic Bay, West Creek, Jockey Creek, Richmond Creek
- West: Great Pond, Goldsmith Inlet
- North-west: Lilly Pond, Longwood Pond
Southold's land area
- FEMA coastal wave zone (VE)
- FEMA 100-year floodplain (AE, AO)
- The flood-zone figure above says how much of the land these zones cover.
Homes here
- Sewer status
- Unsewered (Cesspool/Septic)
- Home heating fuel
- 54% fuel oil Utility gas heats 27% of occupied homes in Southold. Census estimates; the oil figure is within 10 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 1970s band is the largest, at 20%, but its lead over the 1960s band (19%) is inside the Census margin of error (6 points), so no decade clearly leads in Southold. 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
- Southold Fire Department
- Nearest emergency shelter
- Southold Jr./Sr. 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
- 11971
Sources: FEMA NFHL / NOAA SLOSH, US Census ACS, USDA SSURGO, Suffolk County records. Verified 2026-10-18. How we measured this.
Southold and nearby areas
Southold has the largest mapped floodplain share of the 6 areas compared here.
- Southold 16.4%
- Shelter Island Heights 11.6%
- Peconic 11.2%
- Greenport West 10.4%
- Cutchogue 9.8%
- Greenport 9.6%
Share of developed area inside FEMA's mapped floodplain, largest first.
1 of the other 5 areas compared here has shallower average groundwater than Southold.
- Greenport 11 ft
- Southold 15 ft
- Peconic 15 ft
- Greenport West 18 ft
- Cutchogue 27 ft
- Shelter Island Heights 31 ft
Average depth to groundwater, shallowest first.
1 of the other 5 areas compared here has lower average ground than Southold.
- Greenport 9 ft
- Southold 14 ft
- Peconic 15 ft
- Greenport West 19 ft
- Cutchogue 26 ft
- Shelter Island Heights 35 ft
Average height above sea level, lowest first.
Southold's seasonal-housing share is 30%, close to the 36% average across the 5 areas around it — a typical reading for the area rather than an outlier.
Compared with the areas around Southold. How we measured them.
Frequently asked questions about Southold
Is Southold in a flood zone?
Southold's FEMA-mapped flood zone is AE (100-yr floodplain), covering about 16.4% of the developed area, per FEMA's flood map (NFHL).
Does Southold have public sewer, or cesspools?
Southold is unsewered — nearly every property runs on its own cesspool or septic system.
Is Southold in a hurricane evacuation zone?
Southold falls in Suffolk County hurricane evacuation Zone A. Check the county's current maps before a named storm — zones are what county officials use when ordering evacuations.
Where is the nearest emergency shelter to Southold?
The closest Suffolk County emergency shelter to Southold is Southold Jr./Sr. High School. Shelter openings vary by storm — confirm with Suffolk County OEM before traveling to one.
About the figures for Southold
Check them at the source
Who to call for water damage in Southold
(631) 440-4144Tell us what is happening. We connect you with a local specialist who covers Southold.