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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Depew · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Depew than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Depew gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #358 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 95%Earthquakes 2%Tornadoes 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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#358 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
B+#358 of 758
in New York · lower than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
21
paid since 1978 · $23K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
8
of 20 declared for Erie County

What stands out about Depew’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 197811 flood claims were paid for 1978 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Depew 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 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides 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 23% of Depew’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Depew’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Depew, and Depew’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Depew sits
Depew
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #358 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Depew’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

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

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Depew has less expected damage per building than 53% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Depew: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Depew covers 5 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Depew flood? Sometimes: 21 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Depew, from FEMA’s records: 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 11 claims1979: 6 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819791980
19782026
21
paid claims since 1978
$23K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$1K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Depew 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.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Depew

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

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$59K to the Village of Depew for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$248K to the Village of Depew for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding616 households applied for aid$313K aid approved$449K to the Village of Depew for repairs
  4. 2001Severe Winter Storm$3K to the Village of Depew for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$60K to the Village of Depew for repairs
  6. 2000Snow$13K to the Village of Depew for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Village of Depew for repairs
  2. 1999Snow$14K to the Village of Depew for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DepewErie County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Depew archive →
Next door

Depew and its neighbors

Depew is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lancaster: hazard risk A−LancasterDepew
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LancasterA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding2
DepewB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding21

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Depew 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 Depew

Is Depew at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Depew has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #358 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Depew flood?

Flood insurance has paid 21 claims in Depew since 1978, $23K in all, or 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Depew 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 Depew?

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

By FEMA money that reached Depew, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 616 households applied for aid, $313K approved, and $449K to the Village of Depew for repairs.

Is Depew at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Depew’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Depew.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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