Photo: Ken Winters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domainFEMA puts Westfield’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westfield gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #124 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Westfield 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 Westfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westfield, and Westfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
A #124 of 758 in New York; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Westfield’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, Westfield has less expected damage per building than 84% of New York towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Westfield: $824K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Westfield flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Westfield. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Westfield 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Westfield
Disasters that paid out in Westfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Westfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$21K to the Town of Westfield for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to the Town of Westfield for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$30K to the Town of Westfield for repairs
- 2001Snow$14K to the Town of Westfield for repairs
- 2000Snow$5K to the Town of Westfield for repairs
- 1999Snow$4K to the Town of Westfield 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 Westfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Westfield archive →Westfield and its neighbors
Westfield has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Ripley | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Portland | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Sherman | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Chautauqua | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
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 Westfield 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 Westfield
Is Westfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westfield has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #124 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Westfield 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 Westfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Westfield’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 Westfield?
By FEMA money that reached Westfield, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $33K to the Town of Westfield for repairs.
Is Westfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Westfield’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Westfield’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.