Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Canaan
Canaan isn’t graded for hazard risk: Canaan has 810 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1981.
What Canaan 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 Canaan flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canaan, from FEMA’s records.
Canaan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Essex County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Canaan
Disasters that paid out in Canaan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Canaan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$21K aid approved$95K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$40K to the Town of Canaan for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$5K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
Essex County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Canaan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Canaan archive →Canaan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colebrook | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Stewartstown | — | 960 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Beecher Falls | — | 67 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Stewartstown | — | 312 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Clarksville | — | 371 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lemington | — | 108 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Pittsburg | — | 683 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.
Get ready for what Canaan 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 Canaan
Does Canaan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Canaan since 1981, $344K in all.
Is Canaan 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 Essex County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Canaan?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Canaan’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 Canaan?
By FEMA money that reached Canaan, Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2024): 8 households applied for aid, $21K approved, and $95K to the Town of Canaan for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Canaan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Canaan’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.