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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Yates · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Yates than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yates gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #277 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2012.

River and rain flooding 92%Strong wind 2%Ice storms 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

less than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#277 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#277 of 758
in New York · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2012 · $7K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Yates 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

92%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Hail Winter storms Wildfire Coastal flooding Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Yates’ grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Yates, and Yates’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Yates sits
Yates
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #277 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Yates’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Everything else8%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Yates has less expected damage per building than 64% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $579K a year in losses across Yates: $476K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Yates’ 2,567 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Lyndonville village (771 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Yates flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2012

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Yates, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2012
20122026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $7K
1
paid claims since 2012
$7K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Yates

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Town of Yates for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Yates for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Town of Yates for repairs
  4. 2003Ice Storm$13K to the Town of Yates for repairs
  5. 1999Snow$14K to the Town of Yates for repairs
  6. 1999Snow$12K to the Town of Yates for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in YatesOrleans County only

Orleans 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Yates archive →
Next door

Yates and its neighbors

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

Ridgeway: hazard risk A+Somerset: hazard risk A+Carlton: hazard risk A−RidgewaySomersetCarltonYates
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SomersetA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding1
RidgewayA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding—
YatesA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding1
CarltonA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding11

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 Yates 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 Yates

Is Yates at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yates has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #277 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Yates flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Yates since 2012, $7K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).

Is Yates 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 Orleans County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Yates?

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

By FEMA money that reached Yates, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): $23K to the Town of Yates for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $7K.

Is Yates at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Yates’ rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Yates.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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