Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Middleport’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middleport gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Middleport 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 Middleport’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Middleport, and Middleport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Middleport’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $311K a year in losses across Middleport: $267K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Middleport flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Middleport. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Middleport isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Niagara County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Middleport
Disasters that paid out in Middleport itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Middleport), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$3K to the Village of Middleport for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding26 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$16K to the Village of Middleport for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$548 aid approved$2K to the Village of Middleport for repairs
- 1999Snow$3K to the Village of Middleport for repairs
Niagara 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 Middleport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middleport archive →Get ready for what Middleport 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 Middleport
Is Middleport at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middleport has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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.
Is Middleport 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 Niagara County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Middleport?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Middleport’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 Middleport?
By FEMA money that reached Middleport, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 26 households applied for aid, $4K approved, and $16K to the Village of Middleport for repairs.
Is Middleport at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Middleport’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middleport.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Middleport’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.