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Bethany Veterans Wall of HonorPhoto: Ferrantep2 · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bethany · FEMA

FEMA puts Bethany’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #6 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then hurricanes (31%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 61%Hurricanes 31%Earthquakes 3%

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

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#6 of 155 in Connecticut
Hazard risk
B+#6 of 155
in Connecticut · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1979 · $7K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 76% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Bethany 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

61%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

31%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Landslides Hail 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 Bethany’s grade

River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethany, and Bethany’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 31% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Bethany sits
Bethany
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #6 of 155 in Connecticut; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding61%Hurricanes31%Everything else8%

The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bethany has less expected damage per building than 97% of Connecticut towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Bethany: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bethany’s 5,297 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 Bethany flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bethany, 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
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19792011
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $6K
2
paid claims since 1979
$7K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bethany 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

Bethany and its neighbors

Bethany is 2nd of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Woodbridge: hazard risk B−Hamden: hazard risk CProspect: hazard risk B+Beacon Falls: hazard risk CNaugatuck: hazard risk C−Seymour: hazard risk C+Cheshire: hazard risk C+WoodbridgeHamdenProspectBeacon FallsNaugatuckSeymourCheshireBethany
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ProspectB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding1
BethanyB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding2
WoodbridgeB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding60
SeymourC+more damage than 55%river and rain flooding22
CheshireC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding32
Beacon FallsCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding3
HamdenCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding404
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 Bethany 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 Bethany

Is Bethany at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #6 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and hurricanes (31%). 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 Bethany flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bethany since 1979, $7K 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 Bethany 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, 52% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bethany?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $6K.

Is Bethany at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Bethany’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethany.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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