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MontgomeryHousePhoto: Mfwills · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Montgomery · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Montgomery than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montgomery gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 94%Earthquakes 2%Hurricanes 1%

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 65%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 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
18
paid since 1982 · $275K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 27 declared for Franklin County
By hazard

What Montgomery 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Tornadoes Lightning top 4% Wildfire Landslides top 4% 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 Montgomery’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Montgomery, and Montgomery’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Montgomery sits
Montgomery
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $420K a year in losses across Montgomery: $370K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Montgomery’s 1,184 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Richford town (2,346 residents) and Richford CDP (1,304 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 Montgomery flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Montgomery, from FEMA’s records: 22.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 4 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 9 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: 1 claim2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198219841997
19822026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $4K
18
paid claims since 1982
$275K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Franklin County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Montgomery

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

  1. 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$195K to the Town of Montgomery for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$90K to the Town of Montgomery for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storms$36K to the Town of Montgomery for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene6 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$69K to the Town of Montgomery for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $4K
  5. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$103K to the Town of Montgomery for repairs
  6. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Montgomery for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MontgomeryFranklin County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Montgomery archive →
Next door

Montgomery and its neighbors

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

Enosburgh: hazard risk C+Westfield: not gradedLowell: not gradedRichford: hazard risk CBelvidere: not gradedEden: hazard risk B−Bakersfield: hazard risk B+EnosburghWestfieldLowellRichfordBelvidereEdenBakersfieldMontgomery
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BakersfieldB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding—
EdenB−less damage than 53%river and rain flooding—
EnosburghC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding8
RichfordCmore damage than 65%river and rain flooding—
MontgomeryCmore damage than 65%river and rain flooding18
Westfield—536 residents; we grade 1,000+
Lowell—not graded yet
Belvidere—422 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery

Is Montgomery at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montgomery has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Montgomery flood?

Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Montgomery since 1982, $275K in all, or 22.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Montgomery 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 Franklin County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Montgomery?

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

By FEMA money that reached Montgomery, Severe Storm and Flooding (2019): $195K to the Town of Montgomery for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $4K.

Is Montgomery at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Montgomery’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Montgomery.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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