Less hazard damage per building is expected in Cayuga Heights than in 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cayuga Heights gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #331 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1994.
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 Cayuga Heights 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 Cayuga Heights’ grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cayuga Heights, and Cayuga Heights’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #331 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cayuga Heights’ residents live in 3 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, Cayuga Heights has less expected damage per building than 56% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $989K a year in losses across Cayuga Heights: $868K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cayuga Heights flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cayuga Heights, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cayuga Heights isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tompkins County.The storms Cayuga Heights remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Tompkins County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cayuga Heights itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19943 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Tompkins County has had 14 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 Cayuga Heights after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cayuga Heights archive →Cayuga Heights and its neighbors
Cayuga Heights is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lansing | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Lansing | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Cayuga Heights | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Ithaca | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Ithaca | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 66 |
| Northeast Ithaca | — | 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 Cayuga Heights 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 Cayuga Heights
Is Cayuga Heights at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cayuga Heights has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #331 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cayuga Heights flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Cayuga Heights since 1994, $16K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cayuga Heights 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 Tompkins County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Cayuga Heights?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cayuga Heights’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cayuga Heights at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Cayuga Heights’ rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cayuga Heights.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cayuga Heights’ 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.