Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Avoca faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Avoca gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1987.
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
What Avoca 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
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.
What’s behind Avoca’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Avoca, and Avoca’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Avoca’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $676K a year in losses across Avoca: $568K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Avoca flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Avoca, from FEMA’s records: 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Avoca isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Steuben County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Avoca
Disasters that paid out in Avoca itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Avoca), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Avoca for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$187K to the Town of Avoca for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Avoca for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$52K to the Town of Avoca for repairs
Steuben County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Avoca after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Avoca archive →Avoca and its neighbors
Avoca is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Bath | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Howard | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Avoca | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Cohocton | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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.
Get ready for what Avoca faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Avoca
Is Avoca at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Avoca has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Avoca flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Avoca since 1987, $82K in all, or 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Avoca 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 Steuben County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Avoca?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Avoca’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 Avoca?
By FEMA money that reached Avoca, Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds (2011): $187K to the Town of Avoca for repairs.
Is Avoca at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Avoca’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Avoca.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Avoca’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.