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Skinner-Tinkham HouseSkinner-Tinkham House · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Barre · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Barre than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barre gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2021.

River and rain flooding 90%Strong wind 4%Earthquakes 2%

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

less than 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A
in New York · lower than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2021 · $48K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 18 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Barre 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

90%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Tornadoes Hail Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts hail at 10% of Barre’s expected losses. Hail does little damage to buildings (0.5%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Barre’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Barre, and Barre’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Barre sits
Barre
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Barre’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Strong wind4%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $376K a year in losses across Barre: $267K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Barre covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Barre flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2021

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Barre, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim20212026
20212026
2
paid claims since 2021
$48K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Barre

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$11K to the Town of Barre for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$45K to the Town of Barre for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Barre for repairs
  4. 2003Ice Storm$6K to the Town of Barre for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Barre for repairs
  6. 1999Snow$14K to the Town of Barre for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 1999Snow$14K to the Town of Barre for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BarreOrleans County only

Orleans County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Barre archive →
Next door

Barre and its neighbors

Barre is 4th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Albion: hazard risk A+Clarendon: hazard risk AOakfield: hazard risk A+Elba: hazard risk A+Shelby: hazard risk AAlabama: hazard risk BAlbionClarendonOakfieldElbaShelbyAlabamaBarre
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AlbionA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding—
OakfieldA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding—
ElbaA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding—
BarreAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding2
ClarendonAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding8
ShelbyAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding2
AlabamaBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding—

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 Barre 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 ↗
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 Barre

Is Barre at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barre has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Barre flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Barre since 2021, $48K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Barre 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 Orleans County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Barre?

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

By FEMA money that reached Barre, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $45K to the Town of Barre for repairs.

Is Barre at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Barre’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barre.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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