Storms, floods and disasters in Jamestown West
Jamestown West isn’t graded for hazard risk: Jamestown West is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1979.
What Jamestown West 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 Jamestown West flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jamestown West, from FEMA’s records.
Jamestown West isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chautauqua County.The storms Jamestown West remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Chautauqua County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jamestown West itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19793 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19982 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Chautauqua County has had 18 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 Jamestown West after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jamestown West archive →Jamestown West 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celoron | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Busti | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lakewood | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Ellicott | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Jamestown | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
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 Jamestown West 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 Jamestown West
Does Jamestown West flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Jamestown West since 1979, $33K in all.
Is Jamestown West 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 Chautauqua County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Jamestown West?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jamestown West’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jamestown West.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jamestown West’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.