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Natural hazards · Elba

Elba, NY natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elba comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Elba?

5
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elba to be higher than in 5% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding57%Lightning8%Drought8%Strong wind7%Cold waves5%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Elba faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Lightning

8% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Drought

8% of expected damage
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslides

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Elba flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Elba.

of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Elba isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Genesee County.
Disasters that hit Elba

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Elba itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Elba.

Brought FEMA money into ElbaDeclared for Genesee County only
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

$16K to the Town of Elba for repairs
2001

Snow

$10K to the Town of Elba for repairs
1999

Snow

$3K to the Town of Elba for repairs
Genesee County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.
Around Elba

Elba and the towns around it

Oakfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingByron: Very low, mostly inland floodingBarre: Very low, mostly inland floodingBatavia: Low, mostly inland floodingStafford: Very low, mostly inland floodingAlabama: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBergen: Very low, mostly inland floodingClarendon: Very low, mostly inland floodingAlbion: Very low, mostly inland floodingShelby: Very low, mostly inland floodingPembroke: Low, mostly inland floodingAlexander: Low, mostly inland floodingBethany: Very low, mostly inland floodingLe Roy: Low, mostly inland floodingPavilion: Very low, mostly inland floodingElba: Very low, mostly inland flooding ElbaOakfieldByronBarreBataviaStafford
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Bataviamostly inland floodingLow
Staffordmostly inland floodingVery low
Barremostly inland floodingVery low
Byronmostly inland floodingVery low
Elbamostly inland floodingVery low
Oakfieldmostly inland floodingVery low
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Elba covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Elba’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Elba. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Elba total about $1.1M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

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You’re in Elba, NYGenesee CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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