Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0For strong wind, Buffalo Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buffalo Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #825 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 37 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
Strong wind
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 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buffalo Township, and Buffalo Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #825 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Buffalo Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Buffalo Township has more expected damage per building than 80% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Buffalo Township: $963K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Buffalo Township flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buffalo Township, from FEMA’s records: 25.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan9 claims · $119K
- Tropical Storm Lee6 claims · $103K
- Hurricane Debby4 claims · $97K
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: Union County.The storms Buffalo Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Union 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 Union County
- 19997 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Dennis Pa, declared for Union County
- 20117 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Union County
Union County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe 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 has the lowest expected damage per building of the 8 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Kelly Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| East Buffalo Township | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Limestone Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 103 |
| West Buffalo Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lewisburg | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 287 |
| Mifflinburg | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 46 |
| White Deer Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #825 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and strong wind (7%). 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 37 claims in Buffalo Township since 1979, $479K in all, or 25.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% 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 Union County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% 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, $119K.
Is Buffalo Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Buffalo Township’s rate for it is higher than 75% 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.