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Brocton ArchBrocton Arch · Photo: Doug Kerr from Upstate New York · CC BY-SA 2.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Portland · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Portland than in 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portland gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #328 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 93%Strong wind 3%Tornadoes 2%

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

less than 75%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#328 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
A−#328 of 758
in New York · lower than 75% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1979 · $18K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 18 declared for Chautauqua County
By hazard

What Portland 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

93%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Earthquakes Ice storms Wildfire Hail Winter storms Coastal flooding Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Portland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Portland, and Portland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Portland sits
Portland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #328 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Portland’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Everything else7%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Portland has less expected damage per building than 57% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Portland: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Portland’s 4,309 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Brocton village (1,286 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Portland flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Portland, from FEMA’s records: 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 2 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919852022
19792026
5
paid claims since 1979
$18K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Portland 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.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Portland

Disasters that paid out in Portland itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Portland), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$15K to the Town of Portland for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the Town of Portland for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$28K to the Town of Portland for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Portland for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Portland for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Portland for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2001Snow$9K to the Town of Portland for repairs
  2. 2000Snow$4K to the Town of Portland for repairs
  3. 1999Snow$4K to the Town of Portland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PortlandChautauqua County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Portland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Portland archive →
Next door

Portland and its neighbors

Portland is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Pomfret: hazard risk A−Westfield: hazard risk APomfretWestfieldPortland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WestfieldAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding—
PomfretA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding7
PortlandA−less damage than 75%river and rain flooding5

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Portland faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Portland

Is Portland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portland has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #328 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Portland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Portland since 1979, $18K in all, or 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Portland 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 Portland?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Portland’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 Portland?

By FEMA money that reached Portland, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $28K to the Town of Portland for repairs.

Is Portland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Portland’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Portland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Portland’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.