Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Brighton than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brighton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #314 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1978.
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 Brighton 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 Brighton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brighton, and Brighton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #314 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brighton’s residents live in 9 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brighton has less expected damage per building than 59% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.2M a year in losses across Brighton: $6.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brighton flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brighton, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Late summer storms1 claim · $6K
Brighton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monroe County.The storms Brighton remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Monroe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brighton itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19983 flood claims paidThe year of Ny - Severe Wx, Sept 7, 1998, declared for Monroe County
- 20042 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Monroe County
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Monroe County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter 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 Brighton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brighton archive →Brighton and its neighbors
Brighton is 4th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chili | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Henrietta | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Pittsford | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Brighton | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Penfield | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Irondequoit | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Rochester | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Brighton 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 Brighton
Is Brighton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brighton has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #314 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Brighton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Brighton since 1978, $68K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late summer storms (1).
Is Brighton 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 Monroe County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brighton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brighton’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 Brighton?
By flood claims, Late summer storms: 1 paid, $6K.
Is Brighton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Brighton’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brighton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brighton’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.