Flash flooding tore through parts of Buffalo on Thursday, September 3, and the city has since issued official guidance walking homeowners through exactly how to document damage before they call their insurance company. The instructions come straight from the City of Buffalo’s own flooding updates page.
For anyone who has never filed a flood-damage claim before, the paperwork matters almost as much as the cleanup itself.
What the City Is Telling Homeowners to Do
According to the official city guidance, residents should photograph and video every damaged room, along with ruined belongings and equipment, before anything gets thrown out or moved. The city is also telling homeowners to hold onto every receipt tied to cleanup, repairs, and replacement items.
Bulk Trash Pickup and What It Excludes
The city has scheduled an emergency bulk pickup for Monday, September 7, with flood-damaged household items required at the curb by 7 a.m. Construction debris, drywall, ceiling and floor tiles, televisions, computers, tires, paint, and other hazardous materials are excluded from the special collection, per the city’s notice.
A Possible Disaster Declaration Is Still Pending
Buffalo’s notice also flags the possibility of a Small Business Administration disaster declaration, which, if approved, would open up low-interest disaster loans to eligible homeowners, renters, businesses, and private nonprofits in the affected and neighboring counties.
The flooding also renewed warnings about coverage gaps that catch homeowners off guard every storm season. Local public radio station WBFO/BTPM reported that AAA has been fielding questions from residents about what standard homeowners policies actually cover after flash flooding, since basic policies frequently exclude flood damage unless a separate flood policy was purchased in advance. A separate local news report found similar confusion playing out among residents trying to figure out whether their specific water damage falls under different parts of their policy entirely.
For homeowners anywhere, not just Buffalo, the guidance is a useful reminder that flood damage and water damage are not automatically the same claim, and the difference can decide whether a policy pays out at all.
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