Photo: Wayne Blanchard (VtWayne at en.wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Bellows Falls faces more hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellows Falls gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #67 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Bellows Falls 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.
What’s behind Bellows Falls’ grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bellows Falls, and Bellows Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #67 of 71 in Vermont; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bellows Falls’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bellows Falls has more expected damage per building than 94% of Vermont towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Bellows Falls: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bellows Falls flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bellows Falls. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bellows Falls isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Windham County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bellows Falls
Disasters that paid out in Bellows Falls itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Bellows Falls), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene22 households applied for aid$122K aid approved
Windham County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Bellows Falls after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bellows Falls archive →Bellows Falls and its neighbors
Bellows Falls is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Walpole | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rockingham | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Bellows Falls | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| North Westminster | — | 125 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 Bellows Falls 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 Bellows Falls
Is Bellows Falls at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellows Falls has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #67 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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.
Is Bellows Falls 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 Windham County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bellows Falls?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bellows Falls’ 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 Bellows Falls?
By FEMA money that reached Bellows Falls, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 22 households applied for aid, $122K approved.
Is Bellows Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Bellows Falls’ rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bellows Falls.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bellows Falls’ 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.