Photo: Jguard18 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Buchanan than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buchanan gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #81 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Buchanan 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
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Buchanan’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buchanan, and Buchanan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #81 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Buchanan’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, Buchanan has less expected damage per building than 89% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $656K a year in losses across Buchanan: $567K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Buchanan flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Buchanan. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Buchanan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Westchester County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Buchanan
Disasters that paid out in Buchanan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Buchanan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida8 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Sandy4 households applied for aid$32K to the Village of Buchanan for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene7 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$29K to the Village of Buchanan for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Westchester County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical 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 Buchanan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Buchanan archive →Buchanan and its neighbors
Buchanan has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Cortlandt | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 74 |
| Peekskill | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Stony Point | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 77 |
| Montrose | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Verplanck | — | 650 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 Buchanan 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Buchanan
Is Buchanan at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buchanan has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #81 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (11%). 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.
Is Buchanan 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 Westchester County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Buchanan?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Buchanan’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 Buchanan?
By FEMA money that reached Buchanan, Hurricane Irene (2011): 7 households applied for aid, $16K approved, and $29K to the Village of Buchanan for repairs.
Is Buchanan at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Buchanan’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buchanan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Buchanan’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.