Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Canandaigua
Canandaigua isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Canandaigua yet. Flood insurance has paid 65 claims here since 1979.
What Canandaigua 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.
Does Canandaigua flood? Sometimes: 65 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canandaigua, from FEMA’s records.
- The Vermont/New York Flooding24 claims · $471K
- Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $65K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $16K
Canandaigua is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Ontario County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Canandaigua
Disasters that paid out in Canandaigua itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Canandaigua), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$1.4M to the Town of Canandaigua for repairs24 flood claims paid that year
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$166K to the Town of Canandaigua for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$493K to the Town of Canandaigua for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes5 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2003Ice Storm58 households applied for aid$53K aid approved$76K to the Town of Canandaigua for repairs
- 1999Snow$29K to the Town of Canandaigua for repairs
Ontario County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Canandaigua after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Canandaigua archive →Canandaigua and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Bloomfield | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Hopewell | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Bristol | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Farmington | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| South Bristol | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Gorham | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Middlesex | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Canandaigua 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.
- Canandaigua residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Canandaigua
Does Canandaigua flood?
Flood insurance has paid 65 claims in Canandaigua since 1979, $943K in all. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (24).
Is Canandaigua 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 Ontario County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Canandaigua?
Canandaigua is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Canandaigua?
By FEMA money that reached Canandaigua, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $1.4M to the Town of Canandaigua for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 24 paid, $471K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Canandaigua.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Canandaigua’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.