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Congregational Church of LudlowCongregational Church of Ludlow · Photo: Tyler Goodrich · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ludlow · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ludlow 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 (90%). Flood insurance has paid 49 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 90%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
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
49
paid since 1987 · $3.3M
Flooded more than once
3
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
5
of 24 declared for Windsor County
By hazard

What Ludlow 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

90%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Landslides Hail 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 Ludlow’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ludlow, and Ludlow’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ludlow sits
Ludlow
Least damageMiddleMost damage

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

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Hurricanes4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Ludlow: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ludlow’s 2,172 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ludlow village (773 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 Ludlow flood? Sometimes: 49 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ludlow, from FEMA’s records: 15.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 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: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 28 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 18 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120192023
19872026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene28 claims · $1.6M
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding17 claims · $1.5M
  • The December nor’easter1 claim · $12K
49
paid claims since 1987
$3.3M
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$67K
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

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

Insurance rates: Windsor County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ludlow

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$3.7M to the Town of Ludlow for repairs18 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$118K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$2.0M to the Town of Ludlow for repairs28 flood claims paid for it, $1.6M
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$13K to the Town of Ludlow for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LudlowWindsor County only

Windsor County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ludlow archive →
Next door

Ludlow and its neighbors

Ludlow is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Mount Holly: hazard risk B−Plymouth: not gradedCavendish: hazard risk CChester: hazard risk C−Andover: not gradedMount HollyPlymouthCavendishChesterAndoverLudlow
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Mount HollyB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding7
LudlowC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding49
CavendishCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding33
ChesterC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding45
Plymouth—533 residents; we grade 1,000+
Andover—616 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 Ludlow 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 Ludlow

Is Ludlow at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ludlow 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 (90%). 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 Ludlow flood?

Flood insurance has paid 49 claims in Ludlow since 1987, $3.3M in all, or 15.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (28).

Is Ludlow 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 Windsor County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ludlow?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ludlow, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): $3.7M to the Town of Ludlow for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 28 paid, $1.6M.

Is Ludlow at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Ludlow’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ludlow.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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