Photo: Mansfield Historical Society · CC BY 2.5FEMA puts Mansfield’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mansfield gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #5 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 37 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 stands out about Mansfield’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Mansfield 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
Earthquakes
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 Mansfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mansfield, and Mansfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #5 of 155 in Connecticut; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mansfield’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Mansfield has less expected damage per building than 97% of Connecticut towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.8M a year in losses across Mansfield: $5.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mansfield flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mansfield, from FEMA’s records: 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $4K
- Hurricane Elsa1 claim · $55K
Mansfield 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.Mansfield and its neighbors
Mansfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Coventry | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Willington | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Chaplin | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Windham | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Willimantic | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Mansfield Center | — | 785 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Mansfield 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Mansfield
Is Mansfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mansfield has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #5 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mansfield flood?
Flood insurance has paid 37 claims in Mansfield since 1978, $771K in all, or 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Mansfield 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, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mansfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mansfield’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 Mansfield?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $4K.
Is Mansfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Mansfield’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mansfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mansfield’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.