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Danby Vermont 20040701Photo: Redjar at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Danby · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Danby as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Danby gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 90%Hurricanes 4%Strong wind 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 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Vermont · higher than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2011 · $9K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 19 declared for Rutland County
By hazard

What Danby 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

90%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Landslides top 4% Hail Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Danby’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Danby, and Danby’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Danby sits
Danby
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Hurricanes4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $530K a year in losses across Danby: $433K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Danby’s 1,284 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Mount Tabor town (210 residents) and Danby CDP (200 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 Danby flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Danby, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% 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: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2011
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $9K
1
paid claims since 2011
$9K
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

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

Insurance rates: Rutland County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Danby

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$42K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$542K to the Town of Danby for repairs
  3. 2014Severe Winter Storm$48K to the Town of Danby for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene37 households applied for aid$59K aid approved$109K to the Town of Danby for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $9K
  5. 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Danby for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$87K to the Town of Danby for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DanbyRutland County only

Rutland County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Danby archive →
Next door

Danby and its neighbors

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

Dorset: hazard risk B+Tinmouth: not gradedMount Tabor: not gradedPawlet: hazard risk C+DorsetTinmouthMount TaborPawletDanby
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DorsetB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding6
DanbyB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding1
PawletC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding6
Tinmouth—827 residents; we grade 1,000+
Mount Tabor—304 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 Danby 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 Danby

Is Danby at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Danby has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Danby flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Danby since 2011, $9K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Danby 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 Rutland County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Danby?

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

By FEMA money that reached Danby, Severe Storms and Flooding (2017): $542K to the Town of Danby for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $9K.

Is Danby at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Danby’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Danby.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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