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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Darien · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Darien faces less hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Darien gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #265 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 90%Strong wind 4%Tornadoes 2%

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

less than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#265 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#265 of 758
in New York · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
47
paid since 1978 · $1.6M
Disasters paid out here
4
of 18 declared for Genesee County

What stands out about Darien’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 83% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 201713 flood claims were paid for 2017 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Darien 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

90%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Hurricanes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Darien’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Darien, and Darien’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Darien sits
Darien
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #265 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Darien’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Strong wind4%Everything else6%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Darien has less expected damage per building than 65% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $918K a year in losses across Darien: $638K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Darien’s 3,010 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Alexander town (2,491 residents) and Alexander village (518 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Darien flood? Sometimes: 47 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Darien, from FEMA’s records: 41.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 2 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 4 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 9 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 2 claims2009: 6 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 13 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 5 claims199820092017
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Late summer storms1 claim · $19K
47
paid claims since 1978
$1.6M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$35K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Darien isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Genesee County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Darien

Disasters that paid out in Darien itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Darien), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$102K to the Town of Darien for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$39K to the Town of Darien for repairs
  3. 2001Snow$16K to the Town of Darien for repairs
  4. 1999Snow$8K to the Town of Darien for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DarienGenesee County only

Genesee County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

Old photos of Darien after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Darien archive →
Next door

Darien and its neighbors

Darien is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Pembroke: hazard risk BBennington: hazard risk BAlexander: hazard risk A−Alden: hazard risk APembrokeBenningtonAlexanderAldenDarien
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AldenAless damage than 85%river and rain flooding11
AlexanderA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding10
DarienA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding47
PembrokeBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding—
BenningtonBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding1

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Darien faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Darien

Is Darien at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Darien has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #265 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Darien flood?

Flood insurance has paid 47 claims in Darien since 1978, $1.6M in all, or 41.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late summer storms (1).

Is Darien 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 Genesee County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Darien?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Darien’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 Darien?

By FEMA money that reached Darien, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2014): $102K to the Town of Darien for repairs. By flood claims, Late summer storms: 1 paid, $19K.

Is Darien at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Darien’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Darien.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Darien’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.