Photo: Malber · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Dummerston as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dummerston gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Dummerston 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
Hurricanes
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 Dummerston’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dummerston, and Dummerston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Dummerston’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $701K a year in losses across Dummerston: $554K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dummerston flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dummerston. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Dummerston isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Windham County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dummerston
Disasters that paid out in Dummerston itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Dummerston), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$5K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs
- 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$323K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene2 households applied for aid$52K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$165K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs
- 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$161K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs
Show all 7
- 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$6K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs
Windham County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Dummerston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dummerston archive →Dummerston and its neighbors
Dummerston is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putney | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Marlboro | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Brattleboro | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
| Westmoreland | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Chesterfield | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Dummerston | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Newfane | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
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 Dummerston 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.
- 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.
- 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 Dummerston
Is Dummerston at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dummerston has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) 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 Dummerston 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 Windham County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dummerston?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dummerston’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 Dummerston?
By FEMA money that reached Dummerston, Severe Storm and Flooding (2021): $323K to the Town of Dummerston for repairs.
Is Dummerston at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Dummerston’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dummerston.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dummerston’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.