Less hazard damage per building is expected in Bethany than in 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Bethany 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 Bethany’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethany, and Bethany’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bethany’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $506K a year in losses across Bethany: $321K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethany flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bethany. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bethany 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bethany
Disasters that paid out in Bethany itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bethany), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$29K to the Town of Bethany for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Bethany for repairs
- 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Bethany for repairs
- 1999Snow$3K to the Town of Bethany for repairs
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.
Old photos of Bethany after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bethany archive →Bethany and its neighbors
Bethany has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Stafford | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Alexander | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Middlebury | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Batavia | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
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 Bethany 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 Bethany
Is Bethany at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany has lower expected damage per building than 86% 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.
Is Bethany 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 Bethany?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethany’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 Bethany?
By FEMA money that reached Bethany, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2014): $29K to the Town of Bethany for repairs.
Is Bethany at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Bethany’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethany.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethany’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.