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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Arcade · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Arcade than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Arcade gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #746 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 97%Strong wind 1%

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

more than 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#746 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
D#746 of 758
in New York · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
97% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1998 · $7K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Wyoming County
By hazard

What Arcade 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 Arcade’s grade

River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Arcade, and Arcade’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Arcade sits
Arcade
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #746 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding97%Everything else3%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Arcade has more expected damage per building than 98% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Arcade: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Arcade’s 4,187 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Arcade village (1,908 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 Arcade flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Arcade, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 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 claims1998
19982026
2
paid claims since 1998
$7K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wyoming County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Arcade

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

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$10K to the Town of Arcade for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$9K to the Town of Arcade for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$3K to the Town of Arcade for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$13K to the Town of Arcade for repairs
  5. 1999Snow$4K to the Town of Arcade for repairs
  6. 1999Snow$8K to the Town of Arcade for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ArcadeWyoming County only

Wyoming 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 Arcade after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Arcade archive →
Next door

Arcade and its neighbors

Arcade is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Eagle: hazard risk C−Java: hazard risk AFreedom: hazard risk C−Sardinia: hazard risk B+Arcade: hazard risk DEagleJavaFreedomSardiniaArcadeArcade
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
JavaAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding1
SardiniaB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding3
FreedomC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding3
EagleC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding2
ArcadeDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding17
ArcadeDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding2

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 Arcade 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 Arcade

Is Arcade at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Arcade has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #746 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Arcade flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Arcade since 1998, $7K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Arcade 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 Wyoming County, 0.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Arcade?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Arcade’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 Arcade?

By FEMA money that reached Arcade, Snow (2001): $13K to the Town of Arcade for repairs.

Is Arcade at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Arcade’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Arcade.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Arcade’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.