Photo: Mfwills · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Fletcher than in 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fletcher gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1982.
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 Fletcher 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
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 Fletcher’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fletcher, and Fletcher’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fletcher’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $412K a year in losses across Fletcher: $355K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fletcher flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fletcher, from FEMA’s records: 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fletcher isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fletcher
Disasters that paid out in Fletcher itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Fletcher), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$681K to the Town of Fletcher for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storms$51K to the Town of Fletcher for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$238K to the Town of Fletcher for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$86K to the Town of Fletcher for repairs
Franklin County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Fletcher after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fletcher archive →Fletcher and its neighbors
Fletcher is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bakersfield | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fairfax | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Fletcher | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Cambridge | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Waterville | — | 680 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.
Get ready for what Fletcher 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.
- 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 Fletcher
Is Fletcher at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fletcher has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Fletcher flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Fletcher since 1982, $43K in all, or 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Fletcher 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 Franklin County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Fletcher?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fletcher’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 Fletcher?
By FEMA money that reached Fletcher, Severe Storm and Flooding (2019): $681K to the Town of Fletcher for repairs.
Is Fletcher at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Fletcher’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fletcher.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fletcher’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.