Bates Cobblestone Farmhouse · Photo: Araucana · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Middlesex faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlesex gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2014.
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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Middlesex, and Middlesex’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Middlesex’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $513K a year in losses across Middlesex: $411K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Middlesex flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2014
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middlesex, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Middlesex isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Yates County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Middlesex
Disasters that paid out in Middlesex itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Middlesex), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$93K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$188K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$154K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$64K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$2K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$95K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
Yates County has had 15 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 Middlesex after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middlesex archive →Middlesex and its neighbors
Middlesex is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Bristol | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Gorham | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Potter | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Middlesex | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Canandaigua | — | not graded yet | |
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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex
Is Middlesex at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlesex has higher expected damage per building than 69% 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 Middlesex flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Middlesex since 2014, $55K in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Middlesex 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 Yates County, 1.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Middlesex?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Middlesex’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 Middlesex?
By FEMA money that reached Middlesex, Severe Storms and Flooding (2014): $188K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs.
Is Middlesex at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Middlesex’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middlesex.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Middlesex’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.