Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Blasdell faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blasdell gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #474 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1979.
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 Blasdell 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
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 Blasdell’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blasdell, and Blasdell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
B #474 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Blasdell’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Blasdell has more expected damage per building than 62% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Blasdell: $951K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Blasdell flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blasdell, from FEMA’s records: 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Blasdell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Erie County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Blasdell
Disasters that paid out in Blasdell itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Blasdell), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$85K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs
- 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$103K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding172 households applied for aid$72K aid approved$206K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs
- 2001Snow$79K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs
Show all 8
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 1999Snow$7K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs
Erie County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Blasdell after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Blasdell archive →Blasdell and its neighbors
Blasdell is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburg | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 173 |
| Blasdell | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Lackawanna | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
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 Blasdell faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- 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 Blasdell
Is Blasdell at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blasdell has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #474 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Blasdell flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Blasdell since 1979, $151K in all, or 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Blasdell 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 Erie County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Blasdell?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blasdell’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 Blasdell?
By FEMA money that reached Blasdell, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 172 households applied for aid, $72K approved, and $206K to the Village of Blasdell for repairs.
Is Blasdell at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Blasdell’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blasdell.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blasdell’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.