Flood Information
The City of Batavia wants to ensure all our citizens and visitors are fully aware of the hazards related to flooding. While our City does not regularly experience flooding, the Tonawanda Creek has reached the flooding stage on several occasions and certainly will continue to do so, given the right set of circumstances. It’s important to know that street flooding from pooling water is more common in our area, and we want everyone to be aware of the risks of all types of floods and know what action to take in the event of a flood. This portion of our website is designed to bring our community members important flood information pertinent to Batavia. Please take some time to read through these topics, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us any of the following ways:
- Joshua Graham, Fire Chief- Community Rating System Coordinator
- Zach Alwardt- Flood Plain Manager- in training
- Email: zalwardt@batavianewyork.com
- Bureau of Inspection:
- Phone: 585-345-6326
This is the link to the Genesee County Hazard Mitigation Plan - October 2019:
CLICK HERE: Genesee County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Know Your Risk
If you don’t know or understand how your property could be impacted by flooding, you have little reason to be concerned. The information on this page will help you identify and understand your risk.
Insure Your Property
Do you know how to get flood insurance and what it truly covers you against? While most of us understand the importance of flood insurance if we are in a flood hazard area, did you know that even if you aren’t in a hazard area, you still need insurance to be covered? The information on this page will help you understand the importance of flood insurance and provide informative links to find an agent.
Protect People
It’s important to know what to do in the event of a flood. Do you know how to receive flood warnings? Do you know where to go if you need to evacuate your home? What if a street is closed or just looks flooded – what do you do? Have you heard the phrase, Turn Around, Don’t Drown? The information on this page will help answer some of these important questions.
Protect Your Property
If you’ve experienced a flood and had materials damaged, you need to replace and store them in a way that minimizes flood damage risk in the future. For example, if your furnace or hot water heater has sustained damage, you will want to replace it with one elevated above the flood level. It’s also important to keep debris and trash out of the Tonawanda Creek. The City has a program to regularly inspect the Tonawanda Creek, but it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure the Creek is kept clear and clean. This page will provide information on how to protect your property.
Build Responsibly
Did you know there are special regulations for any type of construction in a special flood hazard area? Everyone needs to obtain a permit to build, and you can learn about these regulations and more information to keep you safe by visiting the information on this page.
Protect Natural Floodplain Functions
Storm drains are those grates in the streets next to the curbs where water naturally flows. Unfortunately, leaves and debris can also naturally flow in to the storm drains. Keeping those drains free from trash and debris is important to flood prevention. Visit this page for tips on how to help protect storm drains and other natural flood plain functions.