Enlarged Double Lock No. 33 Old Erie Canal · Photo: Jud McCranie · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Minden faces more hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minden gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #743 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1980.
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 Minden 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 Minden’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Minden, and Minden’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D #743 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Minden’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Minden has more expected damage per building than 98% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Minden: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Minden flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Minden, from FEMA’s records: 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Minden isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Montgomery County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Minden
Disasters that paid out in Minden itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Minden), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Town of Minden for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$166K to the Town of Minden for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$34K to the Town of Minden for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Minden for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Minden for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Minden for repairs
Show all 9
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$14K to the Town of Minden for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$14K to the Town of Minden for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$26K to the Town of Minden for repairs
Montgomery County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical 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 Minden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Minden archive →Minden and its neighbors
Minden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatine | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cherry Valley | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Canajoharie | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| St. Johnsville | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Fort Plain | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 86 |
| Minden | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Nelliston | — | 707 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Danube | — | 888 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Stark | — | 685 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Minden 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 Minden
Is Minden at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minden has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #743 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Minden flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Minden since 1980, $226K in all, or 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Minden 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 Montgomery County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Minden?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Minden’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 Minden?
By FEMA money that reached Minden, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $166K to the Town of Minden for repairs.
Is Minden at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Minden’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Minden.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Minden’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.