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Derby Line VT 11-01-25Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Derby Line · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Derby Line

Derby Line isn’t graded for hazard risk: Derby Line has 783 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 29 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Derby Line 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 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms top 5% Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Derby Line’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Derby Line flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Derby Line. 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

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Derby Line

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$48K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$42K aid approved
  3. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Derby LineOrleans County only

Orleans County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Derby Line archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Derby Line 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 ↗
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 Derby Line

Is Derby Line 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 Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Derby Line?

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

By FEMA money that reached Derby Line, Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2024): 6 households applied for aid, $48K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Derby Line.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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