Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Cavendish faces more hazard damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cavendish gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 33 claims here since 1979.
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
What Cavendish 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.
What’s behind Cavendish’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cavendish, and Cavendish’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cavendish’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $782K a year in losses across Cavendish: $671K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cavendish flood? Sometimes: 33 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cavendish, from FEMA’s records: 37.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Vermont/New York Flooding18 claims · $1.8M
- Hurricane Irene13 claims · $554K
Cavendish isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Windsor County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cavendish
Disasters that paid out in Cavendish itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cavendish), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides42 households applied for aid$180K aid approved$2.4M to the Town of Cavendish for repairs18 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Flooding$76K to the Town of Cavendish for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene50 households applied for aid$208K aid approved$3.4M to the Town of Cavendish for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $554K
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$36K to the Town of Cavendish for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$73K to the Town of Cavendish for repairs
- 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Cavendish for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Cavendish for repairs
Windsor County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Cavendish after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cavendish archive →Cavendish and its neighbors
Cavendish is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weathersfield | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Ludlow | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Cavendish | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Baltimore | — | 361 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Reading | — | 699 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 Cavendish 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 Cavendish
Is Cavendish at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cavendish has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C 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 Cavendish flood?
Flood insurance has paid 33 claims in Cavendish since 1979, $2.3M in all, or 37.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (18).
Is Cavendish 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 Windsor County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cavendish?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cavendish’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 Cavendish?
By FEMA money that reached Cavendish, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 50 households applied for aid, $208K approved, and $3.4M to the Town of Cavendish for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 18 paid, $1.8M.
Is Cavendish at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Cavendish’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cavendish.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cavendish’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.