G.A.R. Memorial Hall · Photo: Pubdog · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Portage
Portage isn’t graded for hazard risk: Portage has 961 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Portage 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.
Does Portage flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Portage. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Portage isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Livingston County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Portage
Disasters that paid out in Portage itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Portage), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Portage for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$58K to the Town of Portage for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$330K to the Town of Portage for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$4K to the Town of Portage for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$247K to the Town of Portage for repairs
- 1999Snow$5K to the Town of Portage for repairs
Livingston County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Portage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Portage archive →Portage and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Morris | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Nunda | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Hume | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Genesee Falls | — | 400 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Granger | — | 614 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 Portage 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 Portage
Is Portage 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 Livingston County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Portage?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Portage’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 Portage?
By FEMA money that reached Portage, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2003): $330K to the Town of Portage for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Portage.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Portage’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.