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Main Street in Fair HavenPhoto: Jared and Corin · CC BY-SA 2.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Fair Haven · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Fair Haven than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fair Haven gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #8 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2006.

River and rain flooding 85%Earthquakes 5%Hurricanes 4%

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 88%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#8 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
A#8 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 88% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
85% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2006 · $79K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 19 declared for Rutland County
By hazard

What Fair Haven 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

85%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning 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 10% of Fair Haven’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fair Haven’s grade

River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fair Haven, and Fair Haven’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 5% (higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Fair Haven sits
Fair Haven
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #8 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding85%Earthquakes5%Hurricanes4%Everything else6%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fair Haven has less expected damage per building than 90% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $630K a year in losses across Fair Haven: $453K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Fair Haven’s 2,736 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Fair Haven CDP (2,225 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 Fair Haven flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2006

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fair Haven, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200620112019
20062026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $20K
4
paid claims since 2006
$79K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fair Haven 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.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fair Haven

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides7 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$23K to the Town of Fair Haven for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene15 households applied for aid$51K aid approved$2K to the Town of Fair Haven for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $20K
  3. 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Fair Haven for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fair HavenRutland 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 Fair Haven after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fair Haven archive →
Next door

Fair Haven and its neighbors

Fair Haven has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hampton: not gradedWest Haven: not gradedPoultney: hazard risk BCastleton: hazard risk A−Benson: not gradedHamptonWest HavenPoultneyCastletonBensonFair Haven
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Fair HavenAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding4
CastletonA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding5
PoultneyBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding9
Hampton—not graded yet
West Haven—234 residents; we grade 1,000+
Benson—784 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 Fair Haven 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 ↗
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 Fair Haven

Is Fair Haven at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fair Haven has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #8 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and earthquakes (5%). 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 Fair Haven flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Fair Haven since 2006, $79K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Fair Haven 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 Fair Haven?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fair Haven, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 15 households applied for aid, $51K approved, and $2K to the Town of Fair Haven for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $20K.

Is Fair Haven at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Fair Haven’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fair Haven.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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