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Lincoln, Vermont (6146877958)Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lincoln · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Lincoln than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lincoln gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 89%Hurricanes 5%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 63%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Vermont · higher than 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1998 · $87K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 27 declared for Addison County
By hazard

What Lincoln 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 20 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Winter storms Ice storms Landslides top 3% Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
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 Lincoln’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lincoln, and Lincoln’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Lincoln sits
Lincoln
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Hurricanes5%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $627K a year in losses across Lincoln: $552K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Lincoln’s 1,323 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ripton town (739 residents) and Hancock town (359 residents) and Granville town (301 residents) and Lincoln CDP (266 residents) and South Lincoln CDP (251 residents) and Goshen town (172 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 Lincoln flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lincoln, from FEMA’s records: 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 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 claims19982011
19982026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $50K
6
paid claims since 1998
$87K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Addison County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5buildings floodproofed
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lincoln

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$14K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs
  3. 2014Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene17 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$164K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $50K
  5. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$82K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LincolnAddison County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lincoln archive →
Next door

Lincoln and its neighbors

Lincoln is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bristol: hazard risk B+Warren: hazard risk B+Ripton: not gradedStarksboro: hazard risk B+Granville: not gradedFayston: hazard risk B−BristolWarrenRiptonStarksboroGranvilleFaystonLincoln
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WarrenB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding13
StarksboroB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding3
BristolB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding3
FaystonB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding1
LincolnC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding6
Ripton—508 residents; we grade 1,000+
Granville—414 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 Lincoln 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Lincoln

Is Lincoln at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lincoln has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and hurricanes (5%). 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 Lincoln flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Lincoln since 1998, $87K in all, or 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Lincoln 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 Addison County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Lincoln?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lincoln, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 17 households applied for aid, $16K approved, and $164K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $50K.

Is Lincoln at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Lincoln’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lincoln.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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