New Hope Mills Complex · Photo: Paul Malo; cropped by Beyond My Ken 02:08, 29 July 2012 (UTC) · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Niles faces more hazard damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Niles gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 2 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 Niles 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 Niles’ grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Niles, and Niles’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Niles’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $578K a year in losses across Niles: $510K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Niles flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Niles, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Niles 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Niles
Disasters that paid out in Niles itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Niles), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$31K to the Town of Niles for repairs
- 2004Snow$3K to the Town of Niles 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 Niles after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Niles archive →Niles and its neighbors
Niles 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spafford | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Skaneateles | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Scipio | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Owasco | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Moravia | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Niles | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Sempronius | — | 789 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 Niles 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 Niles
Is Niles at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Niles has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. 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 Niles flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Niles since 1996, $56K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Niles 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 Niles?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Niles’ 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 Niles?
By FEMA money that reached Niles, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $31K to the Town of Niles for repairs.
Is Niles at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Niles’ rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Niles.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Niles’ 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.