Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Duxbury

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Bridge 31Bridge 31 · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Duxbury · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Duxbury than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Duxbury gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 94%Hurricanes 3%Earthquakes 1%

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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Vermont · higher than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1982 · $648K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 29 declared for Washington County

What stands out about Duxbury’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way2 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Duxbury 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Landslides top 2% Lightning Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
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 Duxbury’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Duxbury, and Duxbury’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Duxbury sits
Duxbury
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $694K a year in losses across Duxbury: $573K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Duxbury’s 1,413 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Moretown town (1,753 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 Duxbury flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Duxbury, from FEMA’s records: 15.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 5 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198219872011
19822026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $536K
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $69K
11
paid claims since 1982
$648K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$59K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Duxbury

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$101K aid approved$562K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$222K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs
  4. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$130K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs
  5. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$582K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs
  6. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$168K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$47K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene5 households applied for aid$36K aid approved$630K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $536K
  3. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$811K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$73K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DuxburyWashington County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Duxbury archive →
Next door

Duxbury and its neighbors

Duxbury is 5th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Waterbury: hazard risk B−Bolton: hazard risk BFayston: hazard risk B−Moretown: hazard risk CHuntington: hazard risk DWaterburyBoltonFaystonMoretownHuntingtonDuxbury
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BoltonBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding14
FaystonB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding1
WaterburyB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding64
MoretownCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding36
DuxburyCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding11
HuntingtonDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding16

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 Duxbury 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 Duxbury

Is Duxbury at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Duxbury has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Duxbury flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Duxbury since 1982, $648K in all, or 15.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).

Is Duxbury 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 Washington County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Duxbury?

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

By FEMA money that reached Duxbury, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): $811K to the Town of Duxbury for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $536K.

Is Duxbury at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Duxbury’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Duxbury.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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