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Londonderry Vermont October 2021 004Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Londonderry · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Londonderry as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Londonderry gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 31 claims here since 1981.

River and rain flooding 91%Hurricanes 4%Tornadoes 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 59%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 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
31
paid since 1981 · $1.6M
Flooded more than once
2
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
5
of 21 declared for Windham County

What stands out about Londonderry’s natural hazards

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

FEMA-funded flood-proofing5 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 2 buildings floodproofed; 1 home raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 201110 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Londonderry 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

91%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 10% of Londonderry’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Londonderry’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Londonderry, and Londonderry’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Londonderry sits
Londonderry
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Hurricanes4%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Londonderry: $903K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Londonderry’s 1,919 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Londonderry CDP (180 residents) and South Londonderry CDP (147 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 Londonderry flood? Sometimes: 31 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Londonderry, from FEMA’s records: 20.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 3 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 3 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 4 claims1988: 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: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 10 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 9 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198720112023
19812026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene10 claims · $589K
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding8 claims · $797K
  • The December nor’easter1 claim · $25K
31
paid claims since 1981
$1.6M
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$52K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Londonderry 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
5flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
2buildings floodproofed
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Londonderry

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides45 households applied for aid$231K aid approved$1.6M to the Town of Londonderry for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene50 households applied for aid$163K aid approved$195K to the Town of Londonderry for repairs10 flood claims paid for it, $589K
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Londonderry for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Londonderry for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Londonderry for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LondonderryWindham 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 Londonderry after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Londonderry archive →
Next door

Londonderry and its neighbors

Londonderry is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Windham: not gradedLandgrove: not gradedWinhall: hazard risk A−Weston: not gradedWindhamLandgroveWinhallWestonLondonderry
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WinhallA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding5
LondonderryC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding31
Windham—594 residents; we grade 1,000+
Landgrove—225 residents; we grade 1,000+
Weston—685 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 Londonderry 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 Londonderry

Is Londonderry at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Londonderry has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Londonderry flood?

Flood insurance has paid 31 claims in Londonderry since 1981, $1.6M in all, or 20.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (10).

Is Londonderry 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 Londonderry?

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

By FEMA money that reached Londonderry, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 45 households applied for aid, $231K approved, and $1.6M to the Town of Londonderry for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 10 paid, $589K.

Is Londonderry at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Londonderry’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Londonderry.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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