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Main Street, Delevan, New York - 20210730Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Delevan · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Delevan 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, Delevan gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 95%Tornadoes 2%Strong wind 2%

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

less than 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in New York · lower than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 20 declared for Cattaraugus County
By hazard

What Delevan 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

95%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hurricanes Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Delevan’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Delevan, and Delevan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Delevan sits
Delevan
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Delevan’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $349K a year in losses across Delevan: $299K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Delevan’s 1,043 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Machias CDP (505 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Delevan flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Delevan. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Delevan 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.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Delevan

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

  1. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$14K to the Village of Delevan for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$52K to the Village of Delevan for repairs
  3. 2001Snow$1K to the Village of Delevan for repairs
  4. 2000Snow$755 to the Village of Delevan for repairs
  5. 1999Snow$1K to the Village of Delevan for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DelevanCattaraugus County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Delevan archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Delevan 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 ↗
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 Delevan

Is Delevan at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delevan has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Delevan 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 Delevan?

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

By FEMA money that reached Delevan, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): $52K to the Village of Delevan for repairs.

Is Delevan at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Delevan’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Delevan.

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