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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Middlesex · FEMA

FEMA puts Middlesex’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlesex gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 92%Hurricanes 3%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

less than 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Vermont · lower than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
32
paid since 1978 · $676K
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 29 declared for Washington County

What stands out about Middlesex’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way18 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201111 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Middlesex 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

92%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms Strong wind Ice storms Landslides top 2% Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire 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 Middlesex’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Middlesex, and Middlesex’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Middlesex sits
Middlesex
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $616K a year in losses across Middlesex: $494K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Middlesex’s 1,779 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Worcester town (964 residents) and Worcester CDP (120 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 Middlesex flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middlesex, from FEMA’s records: 40.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 5 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 2 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 3 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: 11 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 7 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198120112023
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene8 claims · $216K
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding7 claims · $372K
32
paid claims since 1978
$676K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$21K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
18flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Middlesex

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides40 households applied for aid$340K aid approved$3.9M to the Town of Middlesex for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides69 households applied for aid$539K aid approved$6.3M to the Town of Middlesex for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene10 households applied for aid$48K aid approved$29K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $216K
  4. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$93 aid approved$44K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$22K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$57K to the Town of Middlesex for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MiddlesexWashington County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Middlesex archive →
Next door

Middlesex and its neighbors

Middlesex is 2nd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Moretown: hazard risk CBerlin: hazard risk B−Waterbury: hazard risk B−Montpelier: hazard risk CWorcester: not gradedEast Montpelier: hazard risk AMoretownBerlinWaterburyMontpelierWorcesterEast MontpelierMiddlesex
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
East MontpelierAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding4
MiddlesexBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding32
BerlinB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding57
WaterburyB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding64
MontpelierCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding283
MoretownCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding36
Worcester—831 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex

Is Middlesex at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlesex has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Middlesex flood?

Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Middlesex since 1978, $676K in all, or 40.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (8).

Is Middlesex 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 Washington County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Middlesex?

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

By FEMA money that reached Middlesex, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 69 households applied for aid, $539K approved, and $6.3M to the Town of Middlesex for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 8 paid, $216K.

Is Middlesex at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Middlesex’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middlesex.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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