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US Post Office-East RochesterUS Post Office-East Rochester · Photo: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers) · CC BY-SA 3.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in East Rochester · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than East Rochester, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Rochester gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #6 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 91%Earthquakes 5%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

among the lowestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#6 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A+#6 of 758
in New York · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1980 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 15 declared for Monroe County
By hazard

What East Rochester 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

91%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Hurricanes Hail Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 21% of East Rochester’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 East Rochester’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in East Rochester, and East Rochester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Where East Rochester sits
East Rochester
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #6 of 758 in New York; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

East Rochester’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Earthquakes5%Everything else4%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, East Rochester has less expected damage per building than 99% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $805K a year in losses across East Rochester: $527K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. East Rochester covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does East Rochester flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in East Rochester, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 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: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1980
19802026
1
paid claims since 1980
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Monroe County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to East Rochester

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

  1. 2003Ice Storm41 households applied for aid$40K aid approved$69K to the Village of East Rochester for repairs
  2. 1999Snow$25K to the Village of East Rochester for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in East RochesterMonroe County only

Monroe County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. 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 East Rochester after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the East Rochester archive →
Next door

East Rochester and its neighbors

East Rochester is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Perinton: hazard risk A+Pittsford: hazard risk A−PerintonPittsfordEast Rochester
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
PerintonA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding22
East RochesterA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding1
PittsfordA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding14

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 East Rochester 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 East Rochester

Is East Rochester at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Rochester has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #6 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does East Rochester flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in East Rochester since 1980, $4K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is East Rochester 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 Monroe County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in East Rochester?

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

By FEMA money that reached East Rochester, Ice Storm (2003): 41 households applied for aid, $40K approved, and $69K to the Village of East Rochester for repairs.

Is East Rochester at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and East Rochester’s rate for it is lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East Rochester.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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