Old Christ Church · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Bethel faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethel gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 2007.
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 stands out about Bethel’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bethel 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 Bethel’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethel, and Bethel’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bethel’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $964K a year in losses across Bethel: $823K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethel flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 2007
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bethel, from FEMA’s records: 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene13 claims · $819K
- The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $261K
Bethel isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Windsor County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bethel
Disasters that paid out in Bethel itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bethel), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$852K to the Town of Bethel for repairs
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides42 households applied for aid$118K aid approved$1.3M to the Town of Bethel for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$1.8M to the Town of Bethel for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Bethel for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$24K to the Town of Bethel for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene153 households applied for aid$838K aid approved$5.4M to the Town of Bethel for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $819K
Show all 8
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$565K to the Town of Bethel for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Bethel for repairs
Windsor County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Bethel after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bethel archive →Bethel and its neighbors
Bethel is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Royalton | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Braintree | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Rochester | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Bethel | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Tunbridge | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
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 Bethel 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 Bethel
Is Bethel at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethel has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Bethel flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Bethel since 2007, $1.1M in all, or 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (13).
Is Bethel 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 Windsor County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bethel?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethel’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 Bethel?
By FEMA money that reached Bethel, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 153 households applied for aid, $838K approved, and $5.4M to the Town of Bethel for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 13 paid, $819K.
Is Bethel at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Bethel’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethel.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethel’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.