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Hamlin, NY POPhoto: Michael C. Byrnes · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hamlin · FEMA

FEMA puts Hamlin’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hamlin gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #262 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 40 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 96%Earthquakes 1%

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 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#262 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#262 of 758
in New York · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
40
paid since 1978 · $375K
Flooded more than once
5
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 15 declared for Monroe County

What stands out about Hamlin’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 83% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 201711 flood claims were paid for 2017 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Hamlin 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

96%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Hurricanes Coastal flooding Wildfire Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Hamlin’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 Hamlin’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hamlin, and Hamlin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hamlin sits
Hamlin
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #262 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Hamlin’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 flooding96%Everything else4%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hamlin has less expected damage per building than 66% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Hamlin: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Hamlin 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 Hamlin flood? Sometimes: 40 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hamlin, from FEMA’s records: 10.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 2 claims1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 3 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 5 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 3 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: 11 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 6 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199320172019
19782026
40
paid claims since 1978
$375K
paid to owners
5
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Hamlin 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

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hamlin

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

  1. 2017Flooding$38K to the Town of Hamlin for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2003Ice Storm9 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$13K to the Town of Hamlin for repairs
  3. 1999Snow$5K to the Town of Hamlin for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HamlinMonroe 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 Hamlin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hamlin archive →
Next door

Hamlin and its neighbors

Hamlin is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Clarkson: hazard risk A+Parma: hazard risk A+Kendall: hazard risk A−ClarksonParmaKendallHamlin
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ClarksonA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding6
ParmaA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding28
HamlinA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding40
KendallA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding4

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 Hamlin 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 Hamlin

Is Hamlin at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hamlin has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #262 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hamlin flood?

Flood insurance has paid 40 claims in Hamlin since 1978, $375K in all, or 10.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Hamlin 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 Hamlin?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hamlin, Flooding (2017): $38K to the Town of Hamlin for repairs.

Is Hamlin at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Hamlin’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hamlin.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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