Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Windham

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Union ChapelUnion Chapel · Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Windham · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Windham than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Windham gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1999.

River and rain flooding 89%Hurricanes 8%Tornadoes 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 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in New York · higher than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
45
paid since 1999 · $2.8M
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
10
of 20 declared for Greene County

What stands out about Windham’s natural hazards

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

Moved out of harm’s way1 home raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 201137 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Windham 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

89%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Windham’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Windham, and Windham’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Windham sits
Windham
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Hurricanes8%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Windham: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Windham’s 1,708 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Windham CDP (371 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 Windham flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Windham, from FEMA’s records: 19.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 37 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 1 claim2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 2 claims200720112026
19992026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene37 claims · $2.7M
  • Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $32K
  • The December nor’easter1 claim · $7K
45
paid claims since 1999
$2.8M
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$63K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Greene County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Windham

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$19K to the Town of Windham for repairs
  2. 2012Hurricane Sandy$272K to the Town of Windham for repairs
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene252 households applied for aid$582K aid approved$2.6M to the Town of Windham for repairs37 flood claims paid for it, $2.7M
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$42K to the Town of Windham for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm$24K to the Town of Windham for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$38K to the Town of Windham for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Show all 10
  1. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$77K to the Town of Windham for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Windham for repairs
  3. 2002Snowstorms$16K to the Town of Windham for repairs
  4. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$163K to the Town of Windham for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $32K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WindhamGreene County only

Greene County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. 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 Windham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Windham archive →
Next door

Windham and its neighbors

Windham is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Jewett: not gradedDurham: hazard risk B−Cairo: hazard risk B−Conesville: not gradedAshland: not gradedJewettDurhamCairoConesvilleAshlandWindham
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DurhamB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding10
CairoB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding31
WindhamCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding45
Jewett—not graded yet
Conesville—750 residents; we grade 1,000+
Ashland—701 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Windham 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Windham

Is Windham at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Windham has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Windham flood?

Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in Windham since 1999, $2.8M in all, or 19.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (37).

Is Windham 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 Greene County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Windham?

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

By FEMA money that reached Windham, Hurricane Irene (2011): 252 households applied for aid, $582K approved, and $2.6M to the Town of Windham for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 37 paid, $2.7M.

Is Windham at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Windham’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Windham.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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