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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Colchester · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Colchester than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colchester gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 100 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 96%Hurricanes 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

more than 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in New York · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
100
paid since 1982 · $2.3M
Flooded more than once
18
properties · 3 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
14
of 30 declared for Delaware County

What stands out about Colchester’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

100 paid flood claims since 1982$2.3M in all; 18 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 94% of U.S. towns.Remembers 200637 flood claims were paid for 2006 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Colchester 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Landslides top 4% Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Colchester’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Colchester, and Colchester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Colchester sits
Colchester
Least damageMiddleMost damage

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

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Colchester: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Colchester’s 1,782 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Downsville CDP (474 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 Colchester flood? Yes: 100 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Colchester, from FEMA’s records: 68.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 2 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 3 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 4 claims2004: 17 claims2005: 21 claims2006: 37 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 2 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 12 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420052006
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain18 claims · $221K
  • Hurricane Irene6 claims · $45K
  • Tropical Storm Lee6 claims · $96K
100
paid claims since 1982
$2.3M
paid to owners
18
homes flooded more than once
$23K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Delaware County.
Disasters

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Colchester

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

  1. 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$3.1M to the Town of Colchester for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $13K
  2. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$941K to the Town of Colchester for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$25K to the Town of Colchester for repairs
  4. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$828K to the Town of Colchester for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $96K
  5. 2011Hurricane Irene$164K to the Town of Colchester for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $45K
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$4.9M to the Town of Colchester for repairs
Show all 14
  1. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$105K to the Town of Colchester for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$5.9M to the Town of Colchester for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2.5M to the Town of Colchester for repairs21 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$973K to the Town of Colchester for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Colchester for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$28K to the Town of Colchester for repairs
  7. 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Colchester for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  8. 2002Snowstorms$19K to the Town of Colchester for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ColchesterDelaware County only

Delaware County has had 30 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; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Colchester archive →
Next door

Colchester and its neighbors

Colchester is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hancock: hazard risk DRockland: hazard risk DAndes: hazard risk CHamden: hazard risk CWalton: hazard risk DHancockRocklandAndesHamdenWaltonColchester
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AndesCmore damage than 75%river and rain flooding19
HamdenCmore damage than 75%river and rain flooding8
WaltonDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding23
RocklandDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding499
HancockDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding100
ColchesterDmore damage than 94%river and rain flooding100

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 Colchester 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 Colchester

Is Colchester at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colchester has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Colchester flood?

Flood insurance has paid 100 claims in Colchester since 1982, $2.3M in all, or 68.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 18 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (18).

Is Colchester 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 Delaware County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Colchester?

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

By FEMA money that reached Colchester, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $5.9M to the Town of Colchester for repairs. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 18 paid, $221K.

Is Colchester at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Colchester’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Colchester.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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