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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Gerry · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Gerry as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gerry gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 95%Strong wind 2%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

more than 57%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in New York · higher than 57% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1979 · $5K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Chautauqua County
By hazard

What Gerry 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

95%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Ice storms Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Winter storms 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 Gerry’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gerry, and Gerry’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Gerry sits
Gerry
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $597K a year in losses across Gerry: $516K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Gerry’s 1,782 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Gerry flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gerry, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 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 claims19791982
19792026
2
paid claims since 1979
$5K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chautauqua County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gerry

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

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$4K to the Town of Gerry for repairs
  2. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Gerry for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$34K to the Town of Gerry for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Gerry for repairs
  5. 2000Snow$3K to the Town of Gerry for repairs
  6. 1999Snow$2K to the Town of Gerry for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GerryChautauqua County only

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

Add to the Gerry archive →
Next door

Gerry and its neighbors

Gerry has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Charlotte: hazard risk C+Ellicott: hazard risk CEllington: hazard risk DEllery: hazard risk CSinclairville: not gradedPoland: hazard risk DCharlotteEllicottEllingtonEllerySinclairvillePolandGerry
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GerryC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding2
CharlotteC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding1
ElleryCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding12
EllicottCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding16
EllingtonDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding3
PolandDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding6
Sinclairville—557 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Gerry 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 Gerry

Is Gerry at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gerry has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Gerry flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Gerry since 1979, $5K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Gerry 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 Chautauqua County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Gerry?

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

By FEMA money that reached Gerry, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): $34K to the Town of Gerry for repairs.

Is Gerry at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Gerry’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gerry.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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