Photo: User:Dismas · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Huntington faces more hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Huntington gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1980.
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 Huntington 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 Huntington’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Huntington, and Huntington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Huntington’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Huntington: $981K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Huntington flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Huntington, from FEMA’s records: 18.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
Huntington isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chittenden County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Huntington
Disasters that paid out in Huntington itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Huntington), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides83 households applied for aid$751K aid approved$276K to the Town of Huntington for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides7 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
- 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$43K to the Town of Huntington for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2015Severe Storm and Flooding$104K to the Town of Huntington for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm$115K to the Town of Huntington for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$332K to the Town of Huntington for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Show all 9
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene16 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$128K to the Town of Huntington for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$151K to the Town of Huntington for repairs
- 2001Snow$9K to the Town of Huntington for repairs
Chittenden County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Huntington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Huntington archive →Huntington and its neighbors
Huntington is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starksboro | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Bolton | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Duxbury | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Richmond | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
| Huntington | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
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 Huntington 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 Huntington
Is Huntington at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Huntington has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Huntington flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Huntington since 1980, $273K in all, or 18.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Huntington 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 Chittenden County, 35% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Huntington?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Huntington’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 Huntington?
By FEMA money that reached Huntington, Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2024): 83 households applied for aid, $751K approved, and $276K to the Town of Huntington for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Huntington at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Huntington’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Huntington.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Huntington’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.