Buffalo is calmer than 70% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Buffalo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1979.
What stands out about Buffalo’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Buffalo?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 30% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,568 of the 2,558 Pennsylvania towns we cover.
Buffalo covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
The storms Buffalo remembers
None of the disasters declared for Butler County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Buffalo itself in FEMA’s records.
- 200415 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Butler County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
Old photos of Buffalo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Buffalo archive →What Buffalo faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Does Buffalo flood? Sometimes: 57 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buffalo, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan15 claims · $159K
- Tropical Storm Lee6 claims · $111K
- Hurricane Debby2 claims · $52K
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: Butler County.Get ready for what Buffalo actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Buffalo and its neighbors
Buffalo ranks 4th calmest of 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of Butler County’s 9 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Buffalo’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Buffalo.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Buffalo, expected losses total about $1.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buffalo.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.