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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wheatfield · FEMA

FEMA puts Wheatfield’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wheatfield gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #699 of 758 in New York. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 97%Strong wind 1%

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

more than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#699 of 758 in New York
Hazard risk
C−#699 of 758
in New York · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
97% of expected building damage
Flood claims
17
paid since 1979 · $97K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 20 declared for Niagara County
By hazard

What Wheatfield 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Tornadoes Hurricanes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Wheatfield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wheatfield, and Wheatfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wheatfield sits
Wheatfield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #699 of 758 in New York; higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Wheatfield’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding97%Everything else3%

The typical New York town has lower expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Wheatfield has more expected damage per building than 92% of New York towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.2M a year in losses across Wheatfield: $7.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Wheatfield covers 6 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Wheatfield flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wheatfield, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 8 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: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 4 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim197919852021
19792026
17
paid claims since 1979
$97K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Wheatfield 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.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wheatfield

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

  1. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$6K to the Town of Wheatfield for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the Town of Wheatfield for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Wheatfield for repairs
  4. 1999Snow$34K to the Town of Wheatfield for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WheatfieldNiagara County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Wheatfield archive →
Next door

Wheatfield and its neighbors

Wheatfield is 7th of the 9 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

North Tonawanda: hazard risk C−Niagara Falls: hazard risk BPendleton: hazard risk C−Amherst: hazard risk BNiagara: hazard risk B+Cambria: hazard risk AGrand Island: hazard risk A−Lewiston: hazard risk A+North TonawandaNiagara FallsPendletonAmherstNiagaraCambriaGrand IslandLewistonWheatfield
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LewistonA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding1
CambriaAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding12
Grand IslandA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding19
NiagaraB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding17
Niagara FallsBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding36
AmherstBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding263
WheatfieldC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding17
PendletonC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding4
North TonawandaC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding6

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 Wheatfield 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 Wheatfield

Is Wheatfield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wheatfield has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #699 of 758 in New York. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Wheatfield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Wheatfield since 1979, $97K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Wheatfield 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 Wheatfield?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wheatfield, Snow (1999): $34K to the Town of Wheatfield for repairs.

Is Wheatfield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Wheatfield’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wheatfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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