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Jay VT 11-01-25Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Jay · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Jay

Jay isn’t graded for hazard risk: Jay has 471 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.

Flood claims
1
paid since 2011 · $5K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 29 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Jay 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

88%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms top 5% Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire Landslides 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 Jay’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 Jay flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011

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

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2011
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
1
paid claims since 2011
$5K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jay

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$92K to the Town of Jay for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$15K to the Town of Jay for repairs
  3. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$22K to the Town of Jay for repairs
  4. 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$21K to the Town of Jay for repairs
  5. 2011Tropical Storm Irene5 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$79K to the Town of Jay for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
  6. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Jay for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Snow$868 to the Town of Jay for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$947 to the Town of Jay for repairs
  3. 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Jay for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Jay for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JayOrleans County only

Orleans County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Jay archive →
Next door

Jay and its neighbors

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

Richford: hazard risk CTroy: hazard risk A−RichfordTroyJay
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TroyA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding6
RichfordCmore damage than 65%river and rain flooding—

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 Jay 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 Jay

Does Jay flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Jay since 2011, $5K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Jay 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 Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Jay?

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

By FEMA money that reached Jay, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $92K to the Town of Jay for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $5K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jay.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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