Elbridge Village Historic District · Photo: Crazyale · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Elbridge than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elbridge gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #363 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1979.
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 Elbridge 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 Elbridge’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elbridge, and Elbridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #363 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Elbridge’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Elbridge has less expected damage per building than 52% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Elbridge: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elbridge flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elbridge, from FEMA’s records: 5.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $997
Elbridge isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Onondaga County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Elbridge
Disasters that paid out in Elbridge itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Elbridge), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Ice Storm$9K to the Town of Elbridge for repairs
Onondaga County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Elbridge after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elbridge archive →Elbridge and its neighbors
Elbridge is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sennett | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Skaneateles | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Camillus | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Brutus | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Elbridge | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Lysander | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Van Buren | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Cato | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
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 Elbridge 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 Elbridge
Is Elbridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elbridge has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #363 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 Elbridge flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Elbridge since 1979, $188K in all, or 5.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).
Is Elbridge 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 Onondaga County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elbridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elbridge’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 Elbridge?
By FEMA money that reached Elbridge, Ice Storm (2003): $9K to the Town of Elbridge for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $997.
Is Elbridge at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Elbridge’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elbridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elbridge’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.