Photo: Staib (please credit if used) · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Orange as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #62 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 129 claims here since 1979.
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 Orange’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Orange 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 Orange’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orange, and Orange’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 24% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #62 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Orange’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, Orange has less expected damage per building than 60% of Connecticut towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.9M a year in losses across Orange: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Orange flood? Yes: 129 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orange, from FEMA’s records: 23.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida11 claims · $247K
- Hurricane Elsa3 claims · $76K
Orange 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.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orange
Disasters that paid out in Orange itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Orange), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$340K to the Town of Orange for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$67K to the Town of Orange for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$185K to the Town of Orange for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$456K to the Town of Orange for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm$72K to the Town of Orange for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$645K to the Town of Orange for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $60K
Show all 11
- 2011Snowstorm$63K to the Town of Orange for repairs
- 2006Snow$80K to the Town of Orange for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Record Snow$83K to the Town of Orange for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2003Snow$68K to the Town of Orange for repairs
- 2003Snow$57K to the Town of Orange for repairs
Old photos of Orange after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Orange archive →Orange and its neighbors
Orange is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Haven | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 392 |
| Woodbridge | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
| Orange | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 129 |
| New Haven | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 313 |
| Shelton | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 138 |
| Milford | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 2,701 |
| Derby | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
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 Orange 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 Orange
Is Orange at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #62 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Orange flood?
Flood insurance has paid 129 claims in Orange since 1979, $1.6M in all, or 23.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 18 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (11).
Is Orange 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, 52% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Orange?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Orange’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 Orange?
By FEMA money that reached Orange, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): $645K to the Town of Orange for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 11 paid, $247K.
Is Orange at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Orange’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orange.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Orange’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.