Gilsum Stone Arch Bridge · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Gilsum
Gilsum isn’t graded for hazard risk: Gilsum has 716 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1979.
What Gilsum 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
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 Gilsum flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gilsum, from FEMA’s records.
Gilsum isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cheshire County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gilsum
Disasters that paid out in Gilsum itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Gilsum), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$28K to the Town of Gilsum for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2012Severe Storm and Flooding$723K to the Town of Gilsum for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding17 households applied for aid$61K aid approved$104K to the Town of Gilsum for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$40K to the Town of Gilsum for repairs
- 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Gilsum for repairs
Cheshire County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Cheshire County, 2016–2016.
Old photos of Gilsum after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gilsum archive →Gilsum and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Gilsum 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.
- 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 Gilsum
Does Gilsum flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Gilsum since 1979, $63K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Gilsum 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 Cheshire County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gilsum?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gilsum’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 Gilsum?
By FEMA money that reached Gilsum, Severe Storm and Flooding (2012): $723K to the Town of Gilsum for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gilsum.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gilsum’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.