Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Dryden than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dryden gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #720 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 9 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 Dryden 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 Dryden’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dryden, and Dryden’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #720 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dryden’s residents live in 11 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, Dryden has more expected damage per building than 95% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.3M a year in losses across Dryden: $5.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dryden flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dryden, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee1 claim · $10K
Dryden 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dryden
Disasters that paid out in Dryden itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Dryden), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$33K to the Town of Dryden for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Dryden for repairs
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 Dryden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dryden archive →Dryden and its neighbors
Dryden is 6th of the 7 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 |
| Ithaca | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Groton | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Virgil | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Dryden | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Caroline | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| McLean | — | 410 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| 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 Dryden 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 Dryden
Is Dryden at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dryden has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #720 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dryden flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Dryden since 1981, $93K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (1).
Is Dryden 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 Dryden?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dryden’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 Dryden?
By FEMA money that reached Dryden, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2017): $33K to the Town of Dryden for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 1 paid, $10K.
Is Dryden at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Dryden’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dryden.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dryden’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.