Photo: Cathy Cline · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Canterbury as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canterbury gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #49 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (23%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Canterbury 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.
What’s behind Canterbury’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Canterbury, and Canterbury’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 23% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #49 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Canterbury’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Canterbury has less expected damage per building than 69% of Connecticut towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Canterbury: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Canterbury flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Canterbury. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Canterbury 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.Canterbury and its neighbors
Canterbury is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Canterbury | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Scotland | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brooklyn | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Plainfield | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Wauregan | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Canterbury 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 Canterbury
Is Canterbury at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canterbury has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #49 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (23%). 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.
Is Canterbury 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, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Canterbury?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Canterbury’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Canterbury at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Canterbury’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Canterbury.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Canterbury’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.