Storms, floods and disasters in Montague
Montague isn’t graded for hazard risk: Montague has 130 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Montague 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 Montague flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Montague. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Montague isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lewis County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Montague
Disasters that paid out in Montague itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Montague), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2007Record Snow and Near Record Snow$2K to the Town of Montague for repairs
- 1999Snow$1K to the Town of Montague for repairs
Lewis County has had 22 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.
Old photos of Montague after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Montague archive →Montague 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsburg | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Osceola | — | 134 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Worth | — | 222 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Redfield | — | 386 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 Montague 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 Montague
Is Montague 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 Lewis County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Montague?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Montague’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 Montague?
By FEMA money that reached Montague, Record Snow and Near Record Snow (2007): $2K to the Town of Montague for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Montague.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Montague’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.