Photo: Mitchazenia · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Pembroke faces less hazard damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pembroke gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #411 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Pembroke 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 Pembroke’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pembroke, and Pembroke’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
B #411 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pembroke’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pembroke has more expected damage per building than 54% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Pembroke: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pembroke flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pembroke. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pembroke isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Genesee County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pembroke
Disasters that paid out in Pembroke itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pembroke), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$37K to the Town of Pembroke for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$63K to the Town of Pembroke for repairs
- 2001Snow$12K to the Town of Pembroke for repairs
- 1999Snow$6K to the Town of Pembroke for repairs
Genesee County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter 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 Pembroke after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pembroke archive →Pembroke and its neighbors
Pembroke is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darien | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Batavia | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Pembroke | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Newstead | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Alabama | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Pembroke 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 Pembroke
Is Pembroke at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pembroke has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #411 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pembroke 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 Genesee County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Pembroke?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pembroke’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 Pembroke?
By FEMA money that reached Pembroke, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $63K to the Town of Pembroke for repairs.
Is Pembroke at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Pembroke’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pembroke.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pembroke’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.