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Swanton Covered Railroad BridgeSwanton Covered Railroad Bridge · Photo: Chester Liebs · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Highgate · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Highgate than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highgate gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #27 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 84%Earthquakes 9%Ice storms 3%

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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#27 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
B+#27 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1996 · $34K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 27 declared for Franklin County

What stands out about Highgate’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way4 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Highgate 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

84%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hurricanes Strong wind Winter storms Tornadoes Lightning top 5% Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Highgate’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Highgate, and Highgate’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Highgate sits
Highgate
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #27 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Earthquakes9%Ice storms3%Everything else4%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Highgate has less expected damage per building than 63% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $777K a year in losses across Highgate: $617K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Highgate’s 3,472 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Highgate Center CDP (361 residents) and Highgate Springs CDP (77 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 Highgate flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highgate, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620002020
19962026
3
paid claims since 1996
$34K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Highgate 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Highgate

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$11K to the Town of Highgate for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Winter Storms$4K to the Town of Highgate for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$24K to the Town of Highgate for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HighgateFranklin County only

Franklin County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Highgate archive →
Next door

Highgate and its neighbors

Highgate is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Swanton: hazard risk B+Franklin: hazard risk A−Sheldon: hazard risk A−SwantonFranklinSheldonHighgate
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FranklinA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding—
SheldonA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding—
HighgateB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding3
SwantonB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding25

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 Highgate 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 Highgate

Is Highgate at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highgate has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #27 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and earthquakes (9%). 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 Highgate flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Highgate since 1996, $34K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Highgate 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 Highgate?

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

By FEMA money that reached Highgate, Severe Storms and Flooding (2011): $24K to the Town of Highgate for repairs.

Is Highgate at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Highgate’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highgate.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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