Hiram Congdon House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Putnam
Putnam isn’t graded for hazard risk: Putnam has 540 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1979.
What Putnam 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 Putnam flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Putnam, from FEMA’s records.
Putnam isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.The storms Putnam remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Putnam itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19861 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Washington County has had 9 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 Putnam after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Putnam archive →Putnam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orwell | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ticonderoga | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Hague | — | 703 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Benson | — | 784 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dresden | — | 551 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 Putnam 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 Putnam
Does Putnam flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Putnam since 1979, $10K in all.
Is Putnam 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 Washington County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Putnam?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Putnam’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Putnam.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Putnam’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.