Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Byron
Byron isn’t graded for hazard risk: Byron has 174 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2020.
What Byron 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.
Does Byron flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2020
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Byron, from FEMA’s records.
- The December nor’easter2 claims · $37K
Byron isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oxford County.16 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Byron
Disasters that paid out in Byron itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Byron), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding6 households applied for aid$22K aid approved$879K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$645K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$15K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$37K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$38K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$15K to the Town of Byron for repairs
Show all 16
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$17K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$2K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2005Snow$2K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$2K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$6K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2003Snow$1K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2001Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$16K to the Town of Byron for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$61K to the Town of Byron for repairs
Oxford County has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Byron after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Byron archive →Byron and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxbury | — | 352 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 Byron 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 Byron
Does Byron flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Byron since 2020, $88K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from December Nor'easter (2).
Is Byron 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 Oxford County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Byron?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Byron’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 Byron?
By FEMA money that reached Byron, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): 6 households applied for aid, $22K approved, and $879K to the Town of Byron for repairs. By flood claims, December Nor'easter: 2 paid, $37K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Byron.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Byron’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.