Photo: en:User:Binkley27 · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Peru 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, Peru gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then hurricanes (23%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1987.
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 Peru 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 Peru’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Peru, and Peru’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Peru’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $421K a year in losses across Peru: $288K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Peru flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Peru, from FEMA’s records: 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The December nor’easter1 claim · $4K
Peru 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.14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Peru
Disasters that paid out in Peru itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Peru), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding11 households applied for aid$13K aid approved$126K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$75K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$143K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$167K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding2 households applied for aid$21K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$28K to the Town of Peru for repairs
Show all 14
- 2005Record Snow$5K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2005Snow$10K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$12K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2001Snow$19K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$11K to the Town of Peru for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$8K to the Town of Peru 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 Peru after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Peru archive →Peru and its neighbors
Peru is 4th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodstock | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sumner | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hartford | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Peru | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Dixfield | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Canton | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Rumford | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Mexico | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
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 Peru 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 Peru
Is Peru at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peru has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and hurricanes (23%). 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 Peru flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Peru since 1987, $236K in all, or 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from December Nor'easter (1).
Is Peru 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 Peru?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Peru’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 Peru?
By FEMA money that reached Peru, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): $167K to the Town of Peru for repairs. By flood claims, December Nor'easter: 1 paid, $4K.
Is Peru at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Peru’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Peru.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Peru’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.