Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Farnham
Farnham isn’t graded for hazard risk: Farnham has 435 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.
What Farnham 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 Farnham flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Farnham, from FEMA’s records.
Farnham 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Farnham
Disasters that paid out in Farnham itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Farnham), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$15K to the Village of Farnham 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 Farnham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Farnham archive →Get ready for what Farnham 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 Farnham
Does Farnham flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Farnham since 1979, $134K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Farnham 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 Farnham?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Farnham’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 Farnham?
By FEMA money that reached Farnham, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2014): $15K to the Village of Farnham for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Farnham.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Farnham’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.