Natural hazards · Buffalo

Buffalo, PA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Buffalo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Buffalo?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Buffalo to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding72%Hurricanes8%Strong wind7%Heat waves6%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Buffalo faces

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

Inland flooding

72% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 13% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtTsunamisVolcanic 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 Buffalo flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buffalo, from FEMA’s records.

28paid claims since 1979

$333Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan: 9 claims, $140K
Tropical Storm Lee: 7 claims, $112K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Buffalo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Perry County.

Disasters that hit Buffalo

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Perry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Buffalo itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into BuffaloDeclared for Perry County only

Perry County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Buffalo

Buffalo and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Liverpoolmostly inland floodingHigh

Greenwoodmostly inland floodingHigh

Liverpoolmostly inland floodingHigh

Buffalomostly inland floodingHigh

Howemostly inland floodingHigh

Upper Paxtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Wattsmostly inland floodingModerate

Halifaxmostly inland floodingLow

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. Buffalo covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Buffalo’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Buffalo. 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 Buffalo 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.