Mountain View Stock Farm · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Benson
Benson isn’t graded for hazard risk: Benson has 784 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Benson 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 Benson flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Benson. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Benson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rutland County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Benson
Disasters that paid out in Benson itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Benson), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Winter Storm$29K to the Town of Benson for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$87K to the Town of Benson for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene4 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$145K to the Town of Benson for repairs
- 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Benson for repairs
Rutland County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Benson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Benson archive →Benson 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 | — |
| Fair Haven | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Castleton | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Putnam | — | 540 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dresden | — | 551 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Haven | — | 234 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 Benson 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 Benson
Is Benson 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 Rutland County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Benson?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Benson’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 Benson?
By FEMA money that reached Benson, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 4 households applied for aid, $3K approved, and $145K to the Town of Benson for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benson.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Benson’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.