Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Benton · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Benton

Benton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Benton has 386 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1992.

Flood claims

paid since 1992 · $110K

Disasters paid out here

of 34 declared for Grafton County

By hazard

What Benton 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

96%of expected building damage

Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Smaller shares here

Hurricanes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Tornadoes Landslides top 2% Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 1%

FEMA models no building damage here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Benton flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1992

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Benton, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

199220112017

19922026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene5 claims · $93K
The December nor’easter1 claim · $809

paid claims since 1992

$110K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$11K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

Benton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Grafton County.

Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Benton

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

2022Severe Storm and Flooding$4K to the Town of Benton for repairs
2017Severe Storm and Flooding$24K to the Town of Benton for repairs
2017Severe Storms and Flooding$56K to the Town of Benton for repairs
2011Tropical Storm Irene$7K to the Town of Benton for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $93K
2001Snow$1K to the Town of Benton for repairs

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in BentonGrafton County only

Grafton 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Benton archive →

Next door

Benton and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

WoodstockHaverhillWarrenLandaffPiermontBenton

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Haverhill	Cmore damage than 71%	river and rain flooding	4
Woodstock	Dmore damage than 95%	river and rain flooding	8
Warren	—	942 residents; we grade 1,000+
Landaff	—	420 residents; we grade 1,000+
Piermont	—	868 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 Benton 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Benton

Does Benton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Benton since 1992, $110K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).

Is Benton 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 Grafton County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Benton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Benton, Severe Storms and Flooding (2017): $56K to the Town of Benton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $93K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benton.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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