Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Franklin as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then hurricanes (27%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1978.
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 Franklin 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 Franklin’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklin, and Franklin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 27% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
B− lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Franklin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $831K a year in losses across Franklin: $685K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franklin flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franklin, from FEMA’s records: 9.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Franklin 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.Franklin and its neighbors
Franklin is 2nd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Franklin | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Scotland | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bozrah | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Norwich | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 208 |
| Windham | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Sprague | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
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 Franklin 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 Franklin
Is Franklin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and hurricanes (27%). 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 Franklin flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Franklin since 1978, $48K in all, or 9.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Franklin 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, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Franklin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franklin’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Franklin at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Franklin’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franklin’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.