Photo: Gerry Dincher from Hope Mills, NC · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in New Buffalo
New Buffalo isn’t graded for hazard risk: New Buffalo has 48 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1994.
What New Buffalo 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.
Does New Buffalo flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Buffalo, from FEMA’s records.
New Buffalo 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to New Buffalo
Disasters that paid out in New Buffalo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of New Buffalo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee3 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
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 New Buffalo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Buffalo archive →New Buffalo and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watts Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
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 New Buffalo 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 New Buffalo
Does New Buffalo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in New Buffalo since 1994, $395 in all.
Is New Buffalo 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 New Buffalo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Buffalo’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 New Buffalo?
By FEMA money that reached New Buffalo, Tropical Storm Lee (2011): 3 households applied for aid, $7K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Buffalo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Buffalo’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.