Photo: Sscheinfe · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Pelham Manor’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pelham Manor gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #603 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 61 claims here since 1979.
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 Pelham Manor 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
Hurricanes
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 Pelham Manor’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pelham Manor, and Pelham Manor’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #603 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pelham Manor’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, Pelham Manor has more expected damage per building than 80% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Pelham Manor: $2.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pelham Manor flood? Sometimes: 61 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pelham Manor, from FEMA’s records: 30.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida18 claims · $544K
- The April 2007 nor’easter11 claims · $77K
Pelham Manor isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Westchester County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pelham Manor
Disasters that paid out in Pelham Manor itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Pelham Manor), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida36 households applied for aid$212K aid approved18 flood claims paid for it, $544K
Westchester County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, 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 Pelham Manor after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pelham Manor archive →Pelham Manor and its neighbors
Pelham Manor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Rochelle | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 752 |
| New York | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 36,272 |
| Mount Vernon | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 82 |
| Pelham | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Pelham | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 116 |
| Pelham Manor | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
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 Pelham Manor 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Pelham Manor
Is Pelham Manor at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pelham Manor has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #603 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Pelham Manor flood?
Flood insurance has paid 61 claims in Pelham Manor since 1979, $1.1M in all, or 30.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (18).
Is Pelham Manor 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 Westchester County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pelham Manor?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pelham Manor’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 Pelham Manor?
By FEMA money that reached Pelham Manor, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 36 households applied for aid, $212K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 18 paid, $544K.
Is Pelham Manor at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Pelham Manor’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pelham Manor.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pelham Manor’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.