Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Dexter
Dexter isn’t graded for hazard risk: Dexter has 754 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.
What Dexter 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
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.
Does Dexter flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dexter, from FEMA’s records.
Dexter isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dexter
Disasters that paid out in Dexter itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Dexter), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$12K to the Village of Dexter for repairs
- 2017Flooding$2.1M to the Village of Dexter for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$4K to the Village of Dexter for repairs
- 1999Snow$2K to the Village of Dexter for repairs
Jefferson County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Dexter after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dexter archive →Dexter and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hounsfield | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Brownville | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
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 Dexter 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.
- 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 Dexter
Does Dexter flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Dexter since 1979, $5K in all.
Is Dexter 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 Jefferson County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Dexter?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dexter’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 Dexter?
By FEMA money that reached Dexter, Flooding (2017): $2.1M to the Village of Dexter for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dexter.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dexter’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.