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Cooley Covered BridgeCooley Covered Bridge · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pittsford · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Pittsford faces less hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pittsford gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #30 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1989.

River and rain flooding 88%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 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 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#30 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
B+#30 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1989 · $49K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 19 declared for Rutland County
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

88%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Hail 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 9% 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 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pittsford, and Pittsford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pittsford sits
Pittsford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #30 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Hurricanes4%Everything else8%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pittsford has less expected damage per building than 59% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $758K a year in losses across Pittsford: $553K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pittsford’s 2,862 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Pittsford CDP (805 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 Pittsford flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1989

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pittsford, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 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 claims19892011
19892026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $49K
3
paid claims since 1989
$49K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
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: Rutland County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pittsford

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of Pittsford for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene12 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$62K to the Town of Pittsford for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $49K
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Pittsford for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Pittsford for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$6K to the Town of Pittsford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PittsfordRutland County only

Rutland County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

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 →
Next door

Pittsford and its neighbors

Pittsford is 3rd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Proctor: hazard risk C+Brandon: hazard risk BHubbardton: not gradedChittenden: hazard risk BWest Rutland: hazard risk B+Rutland: hazard risk A+ProctorBrandonHubbardtonChittendenWest RutlandRutlandPittsford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RutlandA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding7
West RutlandB+less damage than 75%river and rain flooding6
PittsfordB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding3
BrandonBless damage than 65%river and rain flooding13
ChittendenBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding1
ProctorC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding15
Hubbardton—831 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.

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 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #30 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Pittsford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Pittsford since 1989, $49K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

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 Rutland County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% 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, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 12 households applied for aid, $29K approved, and $62K to the Town of Pittsford for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $49K.

Is Pittsford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Pittsford’s rate for it is higher than 56% 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.