Photo: Otto Yamamoto · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Mentz’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mentz gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.
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 Mentz 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 Mentz’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mentz, and Mentz’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mentz’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $767K a year in losses across Mentz: $679K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mentz flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mentz, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mentz isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cayuga County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mentz
Disasters that paid out in Mentz itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Mentz), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$237K to the Town of Mentz for repairs
- 2004Snow$7K to the Town of Mentz for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$13K to the Town of Mentz for repairs
Cayuga County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Mentz after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mentz archive →Mentz and its neighbors
Mentz is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brutus | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Montezuma | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Throop | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Conquest | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Mentz | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Mentz 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 Mentz
Is Mentz at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mentz has higher expected damage per building than 76% 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 Mentz flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Mentz since 1996, $12K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Mentz 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 Cayuga County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mentz?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mentz’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 Mentz?
By FEMA money that reached Mentz, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $237K to the Town of Mentz for repairs.
Is Mentz at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Mentz’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mentz.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mentz’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.