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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Williamsville · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Williamsville

Williamsville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Williamsville has 284 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.

Flood claims
3
paid since 2008 · $48K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 23 declared for Wayne County
By hazard

What Williamsville faces

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

River and rain flooding

83%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes top 5% Strong wind top 5% Ice storms top 4% Hail Winter storms top 1% Wildfire Landslides top 2% Hurricanes Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 19% of Williamsville’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

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 Williamsville flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008

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

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 2 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20082016
20082026
Biggest named events
  • The March storm2 claims · $44K
3
paid claims since 2008
$48K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Williamsville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Wayne County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Williamsville

Disasters that paid out in Williamsville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Williamsville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding24 households applied for aid$58K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding18 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$8K to the City of Williamsville for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding67 households applied for aid$363K aid approved$5K to the City of Williamsville for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WilliamsvilleWayne County only

Wayne County has had 23 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Williamsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Williamsville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Williamsville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Williamsville

Does Williamsville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Williamsville since 2008, $48K in all. The most claims came from March storm (2).

Is Williamsville 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 Wayne County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Williamsville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Williamsville’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 Williamsville?

By FEMA money that reached Williamsville, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 67 households applied for aid, $363K approved, and $5K to the City of Williamsville for repairs. By flood claims, March storm: 2 paid, $44K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Williamsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Williamsville’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.