Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Kiantone’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiantone gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1979.
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 Kiantone 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 Kiantone’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kiantone, and Kiantone’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kiantone’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $469K a year in losses across Kiantone: $405K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kiantone flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kiantone, from FEMA’s records: 10.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kiantone 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kiantone
Disasters that paid out in Kiantone itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Kiantone), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$6K to the Town of Kiantone for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$149K to the Town of Kiantone for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Kiantone for repairs
- 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Kiantone for repairs
- 2000Snow$4K to the Town of Kiantone for repairs
- 1999Snow$3K to the Town of Kiantone for repairs
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 Kiantone after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kiantone archive →Kiantone and its neighbors
Kiantone is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Busti | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Carroll | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Kiantone | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Jamestown | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Frewsburg | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Kiantone 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 Kiantone
Is Kiantone at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiantone has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C 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.
Does Kiantone flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Kiantone since 1979, $645K in all, or 10.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kiantone 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 Kiantone?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kiantone’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 Kiantone?
By FEMA money that reached Kiantone, Severe Storms and Flooding (2009): $149K to the Town of Kiantone for repairs.
Is Kiantone at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Kiantone’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kiantone.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kiantone’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.