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Barton Vermont October 2021 004Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Barton · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Barton than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barton gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1994.

River and rain flooding 95%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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−#70 of 71
in Vermont · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
95% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 1994 · $51K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
11
of 29 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Barton 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

95%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms top 5% Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Tornadoes 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 Barton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Barton, and Barton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Barton sits
Barton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #70 of 71 in Vermont; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding95%Everything else5%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Barton has more expected damage per building than 99% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Barton: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Barton’s 2,872 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Orleans village (788 residents) and Barton village (690 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 Barton flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Barton, from FEMA’s records: 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199419961997
19942026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $28K
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $8K
7
paid claims since 1994
$51K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Barton

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$853K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$1.6M to the Town of Barton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storms$9K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  5. 2012Severe Storm, Tornado, and Flooding$4K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  6. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$6K to the Town of Barton for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $8K
Show all 11
  1. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$19K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  3. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$232K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Barton for repairs
  5. 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$4K to the Town of Barton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BartonOrleans County only

Orleans County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Barton archive →
Next door

Barton and its neighbors

Barton is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Brownington: hazard risk C+Sheffield: not gradedSutton: not gradedIrasburg: hazard risk C+Westmore: not gradedGlover: hazard risk CBrowningtonSheffieldSuttonIrasburgWestmoreGloverBarton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
IrasburgC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding—
BrowningtonC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding4
GloverCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding9
BartonC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding7
Sheffield—573 residents; we grade 1,000+
Sutton—790 residents; we grade 1,000+
Westmore—465 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 Barton 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 Barton

Is Barton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barton has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Barton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Barton since 1994, $51K in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (1).

Is Barton 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 Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Barton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Barton, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): $1.6M to the Town of Barton for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 1 paid, $28K.

Is Barton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Barton’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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