Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hardwick

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
Hardwick - 9-13-25Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hardwick · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Hardwick than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hardwick gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #62 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 60 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 92%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 2%

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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#62 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
C+#62 of 71
in Vermont · higher than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
60
paid since 1979 · $1.7M
Disasters paid out here
5
of 26 declared for Caledonia County

What stands out about Hardwick’s natural hazards

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

Moved out of harm’s way20 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 198115 flood claims were paid for 1981 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Hardwick 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% 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 Tornadoes Wildfire Lightning 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 Hardwick’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 Hardwick’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hardwick, and Hardwick’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hardwick sits
Hardwick
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #62 of 71 in Vermont; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Hurricanes4%Everything else4%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hardwick has more expected damage per building than 87% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Hardwick: $924K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides in 2023, FEMA took 136 aid registrations from Hardwick addresses (the town has 1,595 homes).
Shared tract.All of Hardwick’s 2,920 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hardwick CDP (1,269 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 Hardwick flood? Sometimes: 60 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hardwick, from FEMA’s records: 37.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 1 claim1981: 15 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 10 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 3 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 5 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 2 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 13 claims2024: 7 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198119952023
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding13 claims · $944K
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $73K
60
paid claims since 1979
$1.7M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Caledonia County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
20flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hardwick

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides18 households applied for aid$34K aid approved$300K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides136 households applied for aid$572K aid approved$5.9M to the Town of Hardwick for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene19 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$9K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $73K
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$80K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HardwickCaledonia County only

Caledonia County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hardwick archive →
Next door

Hardwick and its neighbors

Hardwick is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Woodbury: not gradedWalden: not gradedGreensboro: not gradedWolcott: hazard risk C+Elmore: not gradedStannard: not gradedWoodburyWaldenGreensboroWolcottElmoreStannardHardwick
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WolcottC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding12
HardwickC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding60
Woodbury—659 residents; we grade 1,000+
Walden—not graded yet
Greensboro—633 residents; we grade 1,000+
Elmore—964 residents; we grade 1,000+
Stannard—228 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 Hardwick 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 Hardwick

Is Hardwick at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hardwick has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #62 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Hardwick flood?

Flood insurance has paid 60 claims in Hardwick since 1979, $1.7M in all, or 37.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (13).

Is Hardwick 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 Caledonia County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Hardwick?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hardwick, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 136 households applied for aid, $572K approved, and $5.9M to the Town of Hardwick for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 13 paid, $944K.

Is Hardwick at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Hardwick’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hardwick.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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