Simeon B. Robbins House · Photo: Pubdog · Public domainFEMA puts Franklinville’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklinville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #721 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.
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 Franklinville 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.
What’s behind Franklinville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklinville, and Franklinville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #721 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Franklinville’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Franklinville has more expected damage per building than 95% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Franklinville: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franklinville flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franklinville, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Franklinville 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.The storms Franklinville remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Cattaraugus County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Franklinville itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20111 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Franklinville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Franklinville archive →Franklinville and its neighbors
Franklinville is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machias | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ellicottville | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Franklinville | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Humphrey | — | 758 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lyndon | — | 642 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 Franklinville 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 Franklinville
Is Franklinville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklinville has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #721 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Franklinville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Franklinville since 2011, $11K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Franklinville 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 Franklinville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franklinville’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Franklinville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Franklinville’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklinville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franklinville’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.