Photo: Mwanner | Talk. Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Brighton’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brighton gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then earthquakes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1980.
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 Brighton 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 Brighton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brighton, and Brighton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 11% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brighton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $436K a year in losses across Brighton: $393K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brighton flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brighton, from FEMA’s records: 14.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The April 2007 nor’easter2 claims · $9K
Brighton 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.The storms Brighton remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Franklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brighton itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19803 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19983 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Franklin County
- 20072 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Brighton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brighton archive →Brighton and its neighbors
Brighton is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brighton | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Harrietstown | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Santa Clara | — | 511 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Duane | — | 226 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.
Get ready for what Brighton 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 Brighton
Is Brighton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brighton has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (11%). 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 Brighton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Brighton since 1980, $51K in all, or 14.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from April 2007 Nor'easter (2).
Is Brighton 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 Brighton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brighton’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 Brighton?
By flood claims, April 2007 Nor'easter: 2 paid, $9K.
Is Brighton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Brighton’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brighton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brighton’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.