Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Buffalo Township faces more hazard damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buffalo Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 28 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 Buffalo Township 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
Hurricanes
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 Buffalo Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buffalo Township, and Buffalo Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).
C higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Buffalo Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $501K a year in losses across Buffalo Township: $379K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Buffalo Township flood? Sometimes: 28 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buffalo Township, from FEMA’s records: 60.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan9 claims · $140K
- Tropical Storm Lee7 claims · $112K
Buffalo Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Perry County.The storms Buffalo Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Perry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Buffalo Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20049 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Perry County
- 20119 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Perry County
- 19967 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Fran, declared for Perry County
Perry County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Buffalo Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Buffalo Township archive →Buffalo Township and its neighbors
Buffalo Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Watts Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Upper Paxton Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Buffalo Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Liverpool Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Greenwood Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Howe Township | — | 345 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Liverpool | — | 850 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 Buffalo Township 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Buffalo Township
Is Buffalo Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buffalo Township has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Buffalo Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 28 claims in Buffalo Township since 1979, $333K in all, or 60.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (9).
Is Buffalo Township 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 Perry County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Buffalo Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Buffalo Township’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 Buffalo Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 9 paid, $140K.
Is Buffalo Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Buffalo Township’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buffalo Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Buffalo Township’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.