Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Sloan than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sloan gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #739 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 5 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 Sloan 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 Sloan’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sloan, and Sloan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D #739 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sloan’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sloan has more expected damage per building than 97% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Sloan: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sloan flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sloan, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sloan 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sloan
Disasters that paid out in Sloan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Sloan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$38K to the Village of Sloan for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$8K to the Village of Sloan for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding47 households applied for aid$31K aid approved$121K to the Village of Sloan for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storm$750 to the Village of Sloan for repairs
- 2001Snow$72K to the Village of Sloan for repairs
- 2000Snow$3K to the Village of Sloan for repairs
Show all 7
- 1999Snow$3K to the Village of Sloan 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 Sloan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sloan archive →Sloan and its neighbors
Sloan is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheektowaga | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 127 |
| Buffalo | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 211 |
| Sloan | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Sloan 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 Sloan
Is Sloan at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sloan has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #739 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Sloan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Sloan since 1979, $9K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sloan 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 Sloan?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sloan’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 Sloan?
By FEMA money that reached Sloan, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 47 households applied for aid, $31K approved, and $121K to the Village of Sloan for repairs.
Is Sloan at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Sloan’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sloan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sloan’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.