Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Beacon Falls

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
BeaconFalls DepotStreetBridgePhoto: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Beacon Falls · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Beacon Falls than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beacon Falls gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #108 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 78%Hurricanes 17%Tornadoes 2%

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

more than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#108 of 155 in Connecticut
Hazard risk
C#108 of 155
in Connecticut · higher than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2011 · $26K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 76% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Beacon Falls 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

78%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Landslides top 4% Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Beacon Falls’ grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Beacon Falls, and Beacon Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 17% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Beacon Falls sits
Beacon Falls
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #108 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Beacon Falls’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Hurricanes17%Everything else5%

The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Beacon Falls has more expected damage per building than 69% of Connecticut towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Beacon Falls: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Beacon Falls’ 6,000 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Beacon Falls flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Beacon Falls, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120152024
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $13K
3
paid claims since 2011
$26K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Beacon Falls isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: the county.
Next door

Beacon Falls and its neighbors

Beacon Falls is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Naugatuck: hazard risk C−Oxford: hazard risk B−Seymour: hazard risk C+Bethany: hazard risk B+NaugatuckOxfordSeymourBethanyBeacon Falls
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BethanyB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding2
OxfordB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding99
SeymourC+more damage than 55%river and rain flooding22
Beacon FallsCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding3
NaugatuckC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding24

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Beacon Falls faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Beacon Falls

Is Beacon Falls at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beacon Falls has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #108 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (17%). 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 Beacon Falls flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Beacon Falls since 2011, $26K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Beacon Falls 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 the county, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Beacon Falls?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Beacon Falls’ 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 Beacon Falls?

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $13K.

Is Beacon Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Beacon Falls’ rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beacon Falls.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Beacon Falls’ 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.