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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Jamaica · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Jamaica

Jamaica isn’t graded for hazard risk: Jamaica has 882 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims
18
paid since 1978 · $446K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 21 declared for Windham County
By hazard

What Jamaica 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

93%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Wildfire Landslides top 3% Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves
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 8% of Jamaica’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Jamaica flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jamaica, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 12 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197820112021
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene12 claims · $421K
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $12K
18
paid claims since 1978
$446K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$25K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Windham County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jamaica

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$384K to the Town of Jamaica for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides58 households applied for aid$385K aid approved$1.5M to the Town of Jamaica for repairs
  3. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$485K to the Town of Jamaica for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$16K to the Town of Jamaica for repairs
  5. 2011Tropical Storm Irene84 households applied for aid$238K aid approved$4.2M to the Town of Jamaica for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $421K
  6. 2008Severe Winter Storm$52K to the Town of Jamaica for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$37K to the Town of Jamaica for repairs
  2. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Jamaica for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JamaicaWindham County only

Windham County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Jamaica archive →
Next door

Jamaica and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Stratton: not gradedWardsboro: not gradedWinhall: hazard risk A−Townshend: hazard risk CWindham: not gradedStrattonWardsboroWinhallTownshendWindhamJamaica
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WinhallA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding5
TownshendCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding14
Stratton—532 residents; we grade 1,000+
Wardsboro—820 residents; we grade 1,000+
Windham—594 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 Jamaica 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 Jamaica

Does Jamaica flood?

Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Jamaica since 1978, $446K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (12).

Is Jamaica 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 Windham County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Jamaica?

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

By FEMA money that reached Jamaica, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 84 households applied for aid, $238K approved, and $4.2M to the Town of Jamaica for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 12 paid, $421K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jamaica.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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