Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Goshen as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goshen gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #39 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1991.
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 Goshen 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 Goshen’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Goshen, and Goshen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #39 of 155 in Connecticut; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Goshen’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, Goshen has less expected damage per building than 75% of Connecticut towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Goshen: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Goshen flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Goshen, from FEMA’s records: 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Goshen 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.Goshen and its neighbors
Goshen has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Litchfield | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Norfolk | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Torrington | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Cornwall | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Goshen 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 Goshen
Is Goshen at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goshen has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #39 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (12%). 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 Goshen flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Goshen since 1991, $56K in all, or 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Goshen 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, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Goshen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Goshen’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Goshen at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Goshen’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Goshen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Goshen’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.