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Kent, CT - obelisk and St. Andrew's 01Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Kent · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Kent faces more hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kent gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #150 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 88%Hurricanes 8%Tornadoes 1%

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 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#150 of 155 in Connecticut
Hazard risk
D#150 of 155
in Connecticut · higher than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
18
paid since 1979 · $159K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Flood claims per home
10 per 1,000
more than 74% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Kent 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

88%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Landslides top 2% Hail 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 Kent’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kent, and Kent’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Kent sits
Kent
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #150 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Hurricanes8%Everything else4%

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

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Kent: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kent’s 3,019 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 Kent flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kent, from FEMA’s records: 10.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 4 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 2 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 6 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 2 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: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919811984
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $27K
18
paid claims since 1979
$159K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Kent 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

Kent and its neighbors

Kent is 7th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Warren: hazard risk B−New Milford: hazard risk DSherman: hazard risk C−Cornwall Bridge: not gradedNew Preston: not gradedWashington: hazard risk CCornwall: hazard risk C−Dover: hazard risk C+Sharon: hazard risk C+WarrenNew MilfordShermanCornwall BridgeNew PrestonWashingtonCornwallDoverSharonKent
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WarrenB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding4
SharonC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding5
DoverC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding37
WashingtonCmore damage than 75%river and rain flooding8
ShermanC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding7
CornwallC−more damage than 79%river and rain flooding2
KentDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding18
New MilfordDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding108
Cornwall Bridge—248 residents; we grade 1,000+
New Preston—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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Kent 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 Kent

Is Kent at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kent has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #150 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Kent flood?

Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Kent since 1979, $159K in all, or 10.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Kent 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 Kent?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $27K.

Is Kent at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Kent’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kent.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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