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Cornwall, Vermont Town HallPhoto: Greenmountainboy · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Cornwall · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Cornwall than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cornwall gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 82%Hurricanes 6%Earthquakes 5%

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 90%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 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 27 declared for Addison County
By hazard

What Cornwall 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

82%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning 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 Cornwall’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cornwall, and Cornwall’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Cornwall sits
Cornwall
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hurricanes6%Earthquakes5%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $365K a year in losses across Cornwall: $271K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Cornwall’s 1,207 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Shoreham town (1,260 residents) and Orwell town (1,239 residents) and Bridport town (1,225 residents) and Whiting town (405 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 Cornwall flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cornwall. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Addison County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cornwall

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to the Town of Cornwall for repairs
  2. 2012Severe Storm, Tornado, and Flooding$31K to the Town of Cornwall for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Cornwall for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CornwallAddison County only

Addison County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cornwall archive →
Next door

Cornwall and its neighbors

Cornwall is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Salisbury: hazard risk AMiddlebury: hazard risk ABridport: hazard risk AWhiting: not gradedShoreham: hazard risk AWeybridge: not gradedSalisburyMiddleburyBridportWhitingShorehamWeybridgeCornwall
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MiddleburyAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding5
BridportAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding—
ShorehamAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding1
CornwallAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding0
SalisburyAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding—
Whiting—532 residents; we grade 1,000+
Weybridge—781 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 Cornwall 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Cornwall

Is Cornwall at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cornwall has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (6%). 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.

Is Cornwall 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 Addison County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Cornwall?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cornwall, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $33K to the Town of Cornwall for repairs.

Is Cornwall at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Cornwall’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cornwall.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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