Photo: Shinerunner at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Lackawanna than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lackawanna gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #731 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 55 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 Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lackawanna, and Lackawanna’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #731 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lackawanna’s residents live in 6 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, Lackawanna has more expected damage per building than 96% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.5M a year in losses across Lackawanna: $5.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lackawanna flood? Sometimes: 55 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lackawanna, from FEMA’s records: 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Late summer storms2 claims · $14K
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $143
Lackawanna 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.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lackawanna
Disasters that paid out in Lackawanna itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lackawanna), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$997K to the City of Lackawanna for repairs
- 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$34K to the City of Lackawanna for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$553K to the City of Lackawanna for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding330 households applied for aid$171K aid approved$997K to the City of Lackawanna for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2001Severe Winter Storm$678K to the City of Lackawanna for repairs
- 2001Snow$1.7M to the City of Lackawanna for repairs
Show all 8
- 2000Snow$9K to the City of Lackawanna for repairs
- 1999Snow$14K to the City of Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lackawanna archive →Lackawanna and its neighbors
Lackawanna is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburg | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 173 |
| Blasdell | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Buffalo | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 211 |
| West Seneca | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 120 |
| Lackawanna | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
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 Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna
Is Lackawanna at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lackawanna has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #731 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lackawanna flood?
Flood insurance has paid 55 claims in Lackawanna since 1979, $99K in all, or 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late summer storms (2).
Is Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lackawanna’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 Lackawanna?
By FEMA money that reached Lackawanna, Snow (2001): $1.7M to the City of Lackawanna for repairs. By flood claims, Late summer storms: 2 paid, $14K.
Is Lackawanna at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Lackawanna’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lackawanna.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lackawanna’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.