Photo: J. Passepartout · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Canisteo than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canisteo gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #732 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1981.
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 Canisteo 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 Canisteo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Canisteo, and Canisteo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #732 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Canisteo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Canisteo has more expected damage per building than 97% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Canisteo: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Canisteo flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canisteo, from FEMA’s records: 8.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Debby3 claims · $156K
Canisteo 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Canisteo
Disasters that paid out in Canisteo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Canisteo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$4.3M to the Town of Canisteo for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $156K
- 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$1.1M to the Town of Canisteo for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$128K to the Town of Canisteo for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$19K to the Town of Canisteo for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$81K to the Town of Canisteo for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$87K to the Town of Canisteo for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$42K to the Town of Canisteo 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 Canisteo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Canisteo archive →Canisteo and its neighbors
Canisteo is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Hornellsville | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Canisteo | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Hartsville | — | 512 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cameron | — | not graded yet | |
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 Canisteo 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 Canisteo
Is Canisteo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canisteo has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #732 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Canisteo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Canisteo since 1981, $336K in all, or 8.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (3).
Is Canisteo 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 Canisteo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Canisteo’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 Canisteo?
By FEMA money that reached Canisteo, Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (2024): $4.3M to the Town of Canisteo for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 3 paid, $156K.
Is Canisteo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Canisteo’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Canisteo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Canisteo’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.