On FEMA’s figures, Buffalo Township faces more hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buffalo Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (57%), then river and rain flooding (25%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1998.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Buffalo Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Ice storms
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Buffalo Township’s grade
Earthquakes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buffalo Township, and Buffalo Township’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 9%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Buffalo Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Buffalo Township: $662K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Buffalo Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buffalo Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $5K
- The March storm1 claim · $2K
Buffalo Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dunklin County.The storms Buffalo Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Dunklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Buffalo Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20011 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20081 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado, declared for Dunklin County
Dunklin County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Buffalo Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Buffalo Township archive →Buffalo Township and its neighbors
Buffalo Township is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Buffalo Township | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Arbyrd | — | 432 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Buffalo Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Buffalo Township
Is Buffalo Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buffalo Township has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (57%) and river and rain flooding (25%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Buffalo Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Buffalo Township since 1998, $39K in all, or 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is Buffalo Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Dunklin County, 1.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Buffalo Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Buffalo Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Buffalo Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Buffalo Township at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Buffalo Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buffalo Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Buffalo Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.