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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cambridge · FEMA

FEMA puts Cambridge’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cambridge gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #61 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 92%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

more than 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#61 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
C+#61 of 71
in Vermont · higher than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
14
paid since 1982 · $249K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
17
of 34 declared for Lamoille County
By hazard

What Cambridge 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 Strong wind Winter storms top 5% Ice storms Lightning top 5% Tornadoes Wildfire Landslides 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 Cambridge’s grade

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

Where Cambridge sits
Cambridge
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #61 of 71 in Vermont; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Everything else8%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cambridge has more expected damage per building than 86% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Cambridge: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Cambridge’s 3,839 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Jeffersonville village (750 residents) and Cambridge village (210 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 Cambridge flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cambridge, from FEMA’s records: 7.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 3 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 3 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198220132023
19822026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding3 claims · $119K
14
paid claims since 1982
$249K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$18K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lamoille County.
Disasters

17 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cambridge

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

  1. 2024Severe Winter Storm$75K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$849K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  3. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$425K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  4. 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$22K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  5. 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$856K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$13K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
Show all 17
  1. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Winter Storms$51K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$237K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  4. 2012Severe Storm, Tornado, and Flooding$42K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  5. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$22K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  6. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  7. 2010Severe Storm$18K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  8. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  9. 2008Severe Storms, a Tornado, and Flooding$22K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  10. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$95K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
  11. 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CambridgeLamoille County only

Lamoille County has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cambridge archive →
Next door

Cambridge and its neighbors

Cambridge is 8th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Fletcher: hazard risk BFairfax: hazard risk BUnderhill: hazard risk BJohnson: hazard risk B−Morristown: hazard risk A−Stowe: hazard risk BWaterville: not gradedWestford: hazard risk BFletcherFairfaxUnderhillJohnsonMorristownStoweWatervilleWestfordCambridge
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MorristownA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding8
UnderhillBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding10
WestfordBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding—
StoweBless damage than 61%river and rain flooding18
FletcherBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding8
FairfaxBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding3
JohnsonB−less damage than 55%river and rain flooding19
CambridgeC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding14
Waterville—680 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge

Is Cambridge at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cambridge has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #61 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Cambridge flood?

Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Cambridge since 1982, $249K in all, or 7.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (3).

Is Cambridge 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 Lamoille County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Cambridge?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cambridge, Severe Storm and Flooding (2019): $856K to the Town of Cambridge for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 3 paid, $119K.

Is Cambridge at risk from river and rain flooding?

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

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cambridge.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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