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Cobblestone Historic DistrictCobblestone Historic District · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Gaines · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Gaines than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gaines gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #52 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 89%Strong wind 4%Earthquakes 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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#52 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A+#52 of 758
in New York · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 18 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Gaines 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

89%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Tornadoes Hail Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 Gaines’ grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gaines, and Gaines’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Gaines sits
Gaines
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #52 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Strong wind4%Everything else7%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Gaines has less expected damage per building than 93% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $547K a year in losses across Gaines: $431K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Gaines 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 Gaines flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Gaines. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gaines

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Town of Gaines for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Gaines for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$138K to the Town of Gaines for repairs
  4. 2003Ice Storm$8K to the Town of Gaines for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Gaines for repairs
  6. 1999Snow$12K to the Town of Gaines for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 1999Snow$10K to the Town of Gaines for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GainesOrleans County only

Orleans 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 Gaines after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Gaines archive →
Next door

Gaines and its neighbors

Gaines is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Albion: hazard risk A+Carlton: hazard risk A−Murray: hazard risk AAlbionCarltonMurrayGaines
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AlbionA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding—
GainesA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding0
MurrayAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding—
CarltonA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding11

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 Gaines 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 Gaines

Is Gaines at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gaines has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #52 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Gaines 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 Orleans County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Gaines?

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

By FEMA money that reached Gaines, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): $138K to the Town of Gaines for repairs.

Is Gaines at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Gaines’ rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gaines.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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