Photo: Pooley1999 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Rushford faces more hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rushford gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% 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.
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 Rushford 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 Rushford’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rushford, and Rushford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rushford’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $549K a year in losses across Rushford: $483K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rushford flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rushford. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rushford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegany County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Rushford
Disasters that paid out in Rushford itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Rushford), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Allegany County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Rushford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rushford archive →Rushford and its neighbors
Rushford is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Rushford | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Farmersville | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Caneadea | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| New Hudson | — | 995 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Centerville | — | 700 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Houghton | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Rushford 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 Rushford
Is Rushford at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rushford has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− 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 Rushford 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 Allegany County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Rushford?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rushford’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 Rushford?
By FEMA money that reached Rushford, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2003): 4 households applied for aid, $1K approved.
Is Rushford at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Rushford’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rushford.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rushford’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.