Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Brookline
Brookline isn’t graded for hazard risk: Brookline has 531 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011.
What Brookline 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 Brookline flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brookline, from FEMA’s records.
- The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $280K
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $347K
Brookline 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brookline
Disasters that paid out in Brookline itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Brookline), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides7 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$501K to the Town of Brookline for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$188K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene20 households applied for aid$39K aid approved$39K to the Town of Brookline for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $347K
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
Windham County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Brookline after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brookline archive →Brookline 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putney | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Westminster | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Newfane | C−more damage than 79% | 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 Brookline 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 Brookline
Does Brookline flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Brookline since 2011, $627K in all. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (2).
Is Brookline 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 Brookline?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brookline’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 Brookline?
By FEMA money that reached Brookline, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 7 households applied for aid, $8K approved, and $501K to the Town of Brookline for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 2 paid, $280K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brookline.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brookline’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.