Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Ripley faces less hazard damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ripley gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Ripley 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 Ripley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ripley, and Ripley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ripley’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $492K a year in losses across Ripley: $378K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ripley flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ripley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ripley 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ripley
Disasters that paid out in Ripley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ripley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$19K to the Town of Ripley for repairs
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Ripley for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$22K to the Town of Ripley for repairs
- 2001Snow$11K to the Town of Ripley for repairs
- 2000Snow$4K to the Town of Ripley for repairs
Show all 7
- 1999Snow$4K to the Town of Ripley 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 Ripley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ripley archive →Ripley and its neighbors
Ripley is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ripley | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| North East Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 109 |
| Mina | — | 937 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Ripley 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 Ripley
Is Ripley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ripley has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Ripley 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 Ripley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ripley’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 Ripley?
By FEMA money that reached Ripley, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $22K to the Town of Ripley for repairs.
Is Ripley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Ripley’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ripley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ripley’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.