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Pittsford, New York town hallPhoto: DanielPenfield · CC BY-SA 3.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pittsford · FEMA

FEMA puts Pittsford’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pittsford gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 95%Earthquakes 2%Tornadoes 1%

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

less than 97%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in New York · lower than 97% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 15 declared for Monroe County

What stands out about Pittsford’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way4 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Pittsford 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

95%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Hurricanes Hail Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Pittsford’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Pittsford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pittsford, and Pittsford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pittsford sits
Pittsford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Pittsford’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $304K a year in losses across Pittsford: $242K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Pittsford covers 2 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 Pittsford flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pittsford. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pittsford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Monroe County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pittsford

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

  1. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$51K to the Village of Pittsford for repairs
  2. 2003Ice Storm121 households applied for aid$80K aid approved$26K to the Village of Pittsford for repairs
  3. 1999Snow$3K to the Village of Pittsford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PittsfordMonroe County only

Monroe County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. 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 Pittsford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pittsford archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pittsford 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 Pittsford

Is Pittsford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pittsford has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Pittsford 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 Monroe County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pittsford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pittsford, Ice Storm (2003): 121 households applied for aid, $80K approved, and $26K to the Village of Pittsford for repairs.

Is Pittsford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Pittsford’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pittsford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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