Storms, floods and disasters in Coldspring
Coldspring isn’t graded for hazard risk: Coldspring has 616 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Coldspring 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.
Does Coldspring flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Coldspring. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Coldspring isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cattaraugus County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Coldspring
Disasters that paid out in Coldspring itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Coldspring), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$85K to the Town of Coldspring for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Town of Coldspring for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$17K to the Town of Coldspring for repairs
- 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Coldspring for repairs
- 2000Snow$3K to the Town of Coldspring for repairs
- 1999Snow$3K to the Town of Coldspring for repairs
Cattaraugus 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 Coldspring after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Coldspring archive →Coldspring and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Napoli | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Red House | — | 22 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| South Valley | — | 273 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 Coldspring 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 Coldspring
Is Coldspring 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 Cattaraugus County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Coldspring?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coldspring’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 Coldspring?
By FEMA money that reached Coldspring, Severe Storms and Flooding (2014): $85K to the Town of Coldspring for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coldspring.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coldspring’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.