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North Calais Village Historic DistrictNorth Calais Village Historic District · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Calais · FEMA

FEMA puts Calais’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Calais gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 91%Hurricanes 3%Earthquakes 2%

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

less than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Vermont · lower than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2011 · $28K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 29 declared for Washington County

What stands out about Calais’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 78% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Calais 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

91%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms Strong wind Ice storms Landslides top 2% Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves
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 Calais’ grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Calais, and Calais’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Calais sits
Calais
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $432K a year in losses across Calais: $324K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Calais’ 1,661 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Woodbury town (928 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 Calais flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Calais, from FEMA’s records: 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% 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: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20112023
20112026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $11K
3
paid claims since 2011
$28K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Calais isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Calais

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$47K to the Town of Calais for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides17 households applied for aid$34K aid approved$1.3M to the Town of Calais for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2014Severe Winter Storm$10K to the Town of Calais for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$836 aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Calais for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CalaisWashington County only

Washington County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Calais after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Calais archive →
Next door

Calais and its neighbors

Calais is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

East Montpelier: hazard risk AWorcester: not gradedMarshfield: hazard risk BWoodbury: not gradedElmore: not gradedEast MontpelierWorcesterMarshfieldWoodburyElmoreCalais
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
East MontpelierAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding4
CalaisA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding3
MarshfieldBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding5
Worcester—831 residents; we grade 1,000+
Woodbury—659 residents; we grade 1,000+
Elmore—964 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Calais 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 Calais

Is Calais at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Calais has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. 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.

Does Calais flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Calais since 2011, $28K in all, or 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (1).

Is Calais 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 Washington County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Calais?

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

By FEMA money that reached Calais, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 17 households applied for aid, $34K approved, and $1.3M to the Town of Calais for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 1 paid, $11K.

Is Calais at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Calais’ rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Calais.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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