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WillingtonCT CommonPhoto: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Willington · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Willington faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Willington gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #44 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1994.

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 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#44 of 155 in Connecticut
By hazard

What Willington 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Strong wind Landslides top 4% 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 Willington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Willington, and Willington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Willington sits
Willington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #44 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Hurricanes6%Everything else5%

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

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Willington: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Willington’s 5,566 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 Willington flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Willington, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199420052011
19942026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $2K
3
paid claims since 1994
$11K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Willington 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 Willington

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

  1. 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$12K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$21K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$37K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  4. 2012Hurricane Sandy$43K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  5. 2011Severe Storm$142K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  6. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$44K to the Town of Willington for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
Show all 12
  1. 2011Snowstorm$22K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  2. 2006Snow$18K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$83K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  4. 2005Record Snow$17K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$20K to the Town of Willington for repairs
  6. 2003Snow$13K to the Town of Willington for repairs
Were you here?

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

Add to the Willington archive →
Next door

Willington and its neighbors

Willington is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MansfieldB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding37
TollandB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding6
EllingtonB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding5
WillingtonB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding3
AshfordC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding1
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 Willington 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 Willington

Is Willington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Willington has higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #44 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Willington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Willington since 1994, $11K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Willington 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 Willington?

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

By FEMA money that reached Willington, Severe Storm (2011): $142K to the Town of Willington for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $2K.

Is Willington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Willington’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Willington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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