Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Washington

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
WashingtonNHCenterPhoto: Ken Gallager at Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Washington · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Washington than in 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Washington gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2013.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 6%Ice storms 4%

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 67%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in New Hampshire · higher than 67% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2013 · $9K
Disasters paid out here
14
of 27 declared for Sullivan County
By hazard

What Washington 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

86%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Landslides top 5% Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
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 Washington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Washington, and Washington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Washington sits
Washington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes6%Ice storms4%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $462K a year in losses across Washington: $394K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Washington’s 1,192 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Lempster town (1,118 residents) and Goshen town (796 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Washington flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2013

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Washington, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2013: 1 claim2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20132014
20132026
2
paid claims since 2013
$9K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Sullivan County.
Disasters

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Washington

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$914K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$47K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$54K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$11K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  5. 2012Hurricane Sandy$4K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  6. 2012Hurricane Sandy$4K to the Town of Washington for repairs
Show all 14
  1. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$112K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Winter Storm$86K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$113K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$74K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  5. 2005Record Snow$7K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  6. 2005Record Snow$7K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  7. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  8. 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Washington for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WashingtonSullivan County only

Sullivan County has had 27 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 Washington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Washington archive →
Next door

Washington and its neighbors

Washington is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bradford: hazard risk C−Lempster: hazard risk CMarlow: not gradedGoshen: not gradedWindsor: not gradedHillsborough: hazard risk CStoddard: hazard risk CBradfordLempsterMarlowGoshenWindsorHillsboroughStoddardWashington
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LempsterCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding—
StoddardCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding1
WashingtonCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding2
HillsboroughCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding30
BradfordC−more damage than 85%river and rain flooding18
Marlow—855 residents; we grade 1,000+
Goshen—not graded yet
Windsor—254 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 Washington 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 Washington

Is Washington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Washington has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) 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 Washington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Washington since 2013, $9K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Washington 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 Sullivan County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Washington?

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

By FEMA money that reached Washington, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $914K to the Town of Washington for repairs.

Is Washington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Washington’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Washington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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