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Flood history · Buffalo, NY 14218

Flood insurance claims in Buffalo, NY 14218

91 claims since 1978 and $104,824 paid. Here's what the public record shows, and how to check a specific address.

91flood insurance claims since 1978
$104,824paid to policyholders
$1,691average paid claim
3claims in the last 10 years
15%of claims outside high-risk zones
#229of 1,513 New York ZIP codes by claims

Claims by year

Every NFIP flood insurance claim reported in ZIP 14218 since 1978.

1978: 2 claims1979: 51 claims1980: 1 claims1981: 1 claims1984: 1 claims1985: 1 claims1986: 1 claims1992: 3 claims1994: 2 claims1995: 1 claims1996: 3 claims1997: 1 claims1998: 1 claims2002: 2 claims2004: 4 claims2006: 3 claims2009: 3 claims2010: 1 claims2011: 1 claims2012: 1 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 2 claims2023: 1 claims2024: 2 claims19801990200020102020

What the record says

85% of claims were on properties in high-risk zones and 15% outside them.

Losses are spread across many events; the largest, December Storm - Nor'easter, accounts for 1% of claims.

3 claims were filed in the last 10 years.

The most commonly recorded cause is heavy rain or snowmelt collecting faster than it drains, which can happen far from any river or coast.

Biggest flood events

EventYearClaimsShare
December Storm - Nor'easter199211%
Late summer storms200911%
Hurricane Sandy201211%
Unnamed flooding198111%

Flood zone at time of claim

High-risk zones (A, V)38% · 35
Moderate or minimal risk (X, B, C)7% · 6
Zone not recorded55% · 50

NFIP communities

Lackawanna, City OfParticipates in the NFIP

Federal disaster declarations in Erie County

Flood, hurricane and storm declarations since 2000.

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And FloodingSevere Storm · Major disaster · 2019-12-19
Hurricane SandyHurricane · Emergency · 2012-10-28
Severe Storms And FloodingSevere Storm · Major disaster · 2009-09-01
Severe Storms And FloodingSevere Storm · Major disaster · 2006-10-24
Hurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane · Emergency · 2005-09-30
Severe Storms And FloodingSevere Storm · Major disaster · 2004-08-03

7 flood, storm or hurricane declarations for Erie County since 2000.

Check a specific address in Buffalo.

ZIP-level history is the backdrop. See the official FEMA flood zone, ground elevation and next steps for one property, free.

Sources: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) and Disaster Declarations Summaries, FEMA NFIP Community Status Book; place names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data as of 2026-10-09. Payments are net building + contents payments in dollars at the time paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims are grouped by the ZIP code reported on the claim. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA. Information only; not an official flood zone determination or insurance advice.

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