Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Bombay 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, Bombay gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then earthquakes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1981.
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 Bombay 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
Earthquakes
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 Bombay’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bombay, and Bombay’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bombay’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $376K a year in losses across Bombay: $318K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bombay flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bombay, from FEMA’s records: 6.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bombay isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bombay
Disasters that paid out in Bombay itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bombay), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$1.3M to the Town of Bombay for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$18K to the Town of Bombay for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$26K to the Town of Bombay for repairs
Franklin County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Bombay after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bombay archive →Bombay and its neighbors
Bombay is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moira | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fort Covington | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bombay | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Brasher | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Bombay 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Bombay
Is Bombay at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bombay has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and earthquakes (14%). 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 Bombay flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Bombay since 1981, $24K in all, or 6.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bombay 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 Franklin County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Bombay?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bombay’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 Bombay?
By FEMA money that reached Bombay, Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (2024): $1.3M to the Town of Bombay for repairs.
Is Bombay at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Bombay’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bombay.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bombay’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.