Flood history · Buffalo, NY 14221
Flood insurance claims in Buffalo, NY 14221
335 claims since 1978 and $1.3 million paid. Here's what the public record shows, and how to check a specific address.
Claims by year
Every NFIP flood insurance claim reported in ZIP 14221 since 1978.
What the record says
84% of claims were on properties in high-risk zones and 16% outside them.
One event dominates the record: Unnamed flooding accounts for 53% of all claims in this ZIP code.
1 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.
Amherst, Town Of takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System (class 8), which can lower flood insurance premiums by up to 10% in high-risk zones.
Biggest flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed flooding | 1985 | 179 | 53% |
| Not a named storm | 1979 | 2 | 1% |
Flood zone at time of claim
NFIP communities
Federal disaster declarations in Erie County
Flood, hurricane and storm declarations since 2000.
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.