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Alexander Classical School, Alexander, NYPhoto: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Alexander · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Alexander than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alexander gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 90%Strong wind 4%Tornadoes 2%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in New York · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 1982 · $105K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 18 declared for Genesee County
By hazard

What Alexander faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

90%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Hurricanes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Alexander’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alexander, and Alexander’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Alexander sits
Alexander
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Alexander’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Strong wind4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $760K a year in losses across Alexander: $528K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Alexander’s 2,491 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Darien town (3,010 residents) and Alexander village (518 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Alexander flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alexander, from FEMA’s records: 10.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199619982011
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The Late summer storms1 claim · $19K
10
paid claims since 1982
$105K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Alexander isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Genesee County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alexander

Disasters that paid out in Alexander itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Alexander), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$55K to the Town of Alexander for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Alexander for repairs
  3. 2001Snow$10K to the Town of Alexander for repairs
  4. 1999Snow$2K to the Town of Alexander for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AlexanderGenesee County only

Genesee County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

Old photos of Alexander after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Alexander archive →
Next door

Alexander and its neighbors

Alexander is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Attica: hazard risk B+Darien: hazard risk A−Bethany: hazard risk ABatavia: hazard risk B+AtticaDarienBethanyBataviaAlexander
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BethanyAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
DarienA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding47
AlexanderA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding10
BataviaB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding13
AtticaB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding6

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Alexander faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Alexander

Is Alexander at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alexander has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Alexander flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Alexander since 1982, $105K in all, or 10.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late summer storms (1).

Is Alexander in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Genesee County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Alexander?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alexander’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Alexander?

By FEMA money that reached Alexander, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2014): $55K to the Town of Alexander for repairs. By flood claims, Late summer storms: 1 paid, $19K.

Is Alexander at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Alexander’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alexander.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alexander’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.