Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Lyons faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lyons gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #686 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Lyons 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 Lyons’ grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lyons, and Lyons’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #686 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lyons’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lyons has more expected damage per building than 90% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Lyons: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lyons flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lyons. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Lyons isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wayne County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lyons
Disasters that paid out in Lyons itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lyons), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2003Ice Storm65 households applied for aid$34K aid approved$65K to the Town of Lyons for repairs
- 1999Snow$7K to the Town of Lyons for repairs
Wayne County has had 11 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.
Old photos of Lyons after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lyons archive →Lyons and its neighbors
Lyons is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Phelps | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Rose | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sodus | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Galen | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Lyons | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Lyons 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 Lyons
Is Lyons at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lyons has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #686 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.
Is Lyons 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 Wayne County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Lyons?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lyons’ 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 Lyons?
By FEMA money that reached Lyons, Ice Storm (2003): 65 households applied for aid, $34K approved, and $65K to the Town of Lyons for repairs.
Is Lyons at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Lyons’ rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lyons.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lyons’ 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.