FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Dansville than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dansville gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2002.
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 Dansville 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 Dansville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dansville, and Dansville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Dansville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $549K a year in losses across Dansville: $451K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dansville flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2002
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dansville, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dansville 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.The storms Dansville remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Steuben County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dansville itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20021 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Dansville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dansville archive →Dansville and its neighbors
Dansville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayland | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| North Dansville | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Dansville | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hornellsville | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Burns | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Fremont | — | 794 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ossian | — | 689 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Dansville 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 Dansville
Is Dansville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dansville has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Dansville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Dansville since 2002, $891 in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dansville 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 Dansville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dansville’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dansville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Dansville’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dansville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dansville’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.