Photo: DanielPenfield · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Mendon’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mendon gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #347 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1991.
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 Mendon 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 Mendon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mendon, and Mendon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #347 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mendon’s 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, Mendon has less expected damage per building than 54% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Mendon: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mendon flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mendon, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mendon 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mendon
Disasters that paid out in Mendon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Mendon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Ice Storm1 households applied for aid$46K to the Town of Mendon for repairs
- 1999Snow$12K to the Town of Mendon for repairs
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.
Old photos of Mendon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mendon archive →Mendon and its neighbors
Mendon is 7th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rush | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Henrietta | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| West Bloomfield | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Victor | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Pittsford | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Mendon | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Mendon 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 Mendon
Is Mendon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mendon has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #347 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mendon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Mendon since 1991, $83K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Mendon 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 Mendon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mendon’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 Mendon?
By FEMA money that reached Mendon, Ice Storm (2003): 1 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $46K to the Town of Mendon for repairs.
Is Mendon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Mendon’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mendon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mendon’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.