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StaffordCT StaffordHollowHD 2Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Stafford · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Stafford than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stafford gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #112 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 91%Hurricanes 5%Tornadoes 2%

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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#112 of 155 in Connecticut
Hazard risk
C#112 of 155
in Connecticut · higher than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
16
paid since 1996 · $385K
By hazard

What Stafford 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

91%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Strong wind Wildfire Landslides top 5% 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 Stafford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stafford, and Stafford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Stafford sits
Stafford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #112 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Stafford’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Hurricanes5%Everything else5%

The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Stafford has more expected damage per building than 72% of Connecticut towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Stafford: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Stafford covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Stafford flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stafford, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 9 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620002005
19962026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $4K
  • Hurricane Elsa1 claim · $5K
16
paid claims since 1996
$385K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Stafford 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.
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Stafford

Disasters that paid out in Stafford itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Stafford), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$77K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$51K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$54K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  4. 2012Hurricane Sandy$16K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  5. 2011Severe Storm$87K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  6. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$19K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2011Snowstorm$44K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  2. 2006Snow$25K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$166K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  4. 2005Record Snow$34K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$29K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
  6. 2003Snow$19K to the Town of Stafford for repairs
Were you here?

Old photos of Stafford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Stafford archive →
Next door

Stafford and its neighbors

Stafford is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Willington: hazard risk B−Crystal Lake: not gradedEllington: hazard risk B−Stafford Springs: not gradedSomers: hazard risk BUnion: not gradedMonson: hazard risk B−WillingtonCrystal LakeEllingtonStafford SpringsSomersUnionMonsonStafford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SomersBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding7
EllingtonB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding5
WillingtonB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding3
MonsonB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding4
StaffordCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding16
Crystal Lake—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town
Stafford Springs—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town
Union—944 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Stafford 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 ↗
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 Stafford

Is Stafford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stafford has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #112 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Stafford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Stafford since 1996, $385K in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (1).

Is Stafford 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 Stafford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Stafford, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $166K to the Town of Stafford for repairs. By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 paid, $4K.

Is Stafford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Stafford’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stafford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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