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Penn Yan Historic District Oct 09Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Penn Yan · FEMA

FEMA puts Penn Yan’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Yan gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #647 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 96%Hurricanes 2%

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

more than 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#647 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
C#647 of 758
in New York · higher than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
15
paid since 1978 · $209K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 15 declared for Yates County
By hazard

What Penn Yan 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Penn Yan’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Penn Yan, and Penn Yan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Penn Yan sits
Penn Yan
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #647 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Penn Yan’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Penn Yan has more expected damage per building than 85% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Penn Yan: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Penn Yan covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Penn Yan flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Penn Yan, from FEMA’s records: 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 3 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 10 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819862014
19782026
15
paid claims since 1978
$209K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Penn Yan 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.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Penn Yan

Disasters that paid out in Penn Yan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Penn Yan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$4K to the Village of Penn Yan for repairs
  2. 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred$12K to the Village of Penn Yan for repairs
  3. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$1.1M to the Village of Penn Yan for repairs10 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$63K to the Village of Penn Yan for repairs
  5. 2003Ice Storm$4K to the Village of Penn Yan for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Penn YanYates County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Penn Yan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Penn Yan archive →
Next door

Penn Yan and its neighbors

Penn Yan is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Milo: hazard risk CJerusalem: hazard risk C−Benton: hazard risk B−MiloJerusalemBentonPenn Yan
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BentonB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding4
MiloCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding11
Penn YanCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding15
JerusalemC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding27

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Penn Yan faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Penn Yan

Is Penn Yan at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Penn Yan has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #647 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Penn Yan flood?

Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Penn Yan since 1978, $209K in all, or 6.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Penn Yan 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 Penn Yan?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Penn Yan’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 Penn Yan?

By FEMA money that reached Penn Yan, Severe Storms and Flooding (2014): $1.1M to the Village of Penn Yan for repairs.

Is Penn Yan at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Penn Yan’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Penn Yan.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Penn Yan’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.