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Brownington - 9-13-25Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Brownington · FEMA

FEMA puts Brownington’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brownington gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 92%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 1%

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 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Vermont · higher than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2011 · $321K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 29 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Brownington 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% 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 Wildfire Hail 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 Brownington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brownington, and Brownington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Brownington sits
Brownington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Hurricanes4%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $441K a year in losses across Brownington: $377K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Brownington’s 1,042 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Coventry town (1,100 residents) and Westmore town (357 residents) and Coventry CDP (111 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 Brownington flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brownington, from FEMA’s records: 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120192023
20112026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $130K
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $134K
4
paid claims since 2011
$321K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$80K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Brownington 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

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brownington

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$33K aid approved$59K to the Town of Brownington for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$32K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene1 households applied for aid$860K to the Town of Brownington for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $134K
  4. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$117K to the Town of Brownington for repairs
  5. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Brownington for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Brownington for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BrowningtonOrleans 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 Brownington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Brownington archive →
Next door

Brownington and its neighbors

Brownington is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Barton: hazard risk C−Coventry: hazard risk C+Derby: hazard risk B+BartonCoventryDerbyBrownington
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DerbyB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding28
CoventryC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding4
BrowningtonC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding4
BartonC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding7

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 Brownington 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 Brownington

Is Brownington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brownington has higher expected damage per building than 61% 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 Brownington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Brownington since 2011, $321K in all, or 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (2).

Is Brownington 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 Brownington?

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

By FEMA money that reached Brownington, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 1 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $860K to the Town of Brownington for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 2 paid, $130K.

Is Brownington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Brownington’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brownington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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