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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Newport · FEMA

FEMA puts Newport’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #18 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.

River and rain flooding 88%Hurricanes 4%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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#18 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
A−#18 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2023 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 29 declared for Orleans County
By hazard

What Newport 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

88%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms top 5% Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire Landslides Hail Cold waves Heat waves
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 8% of Newport’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 Newport’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newport, and Newport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Newport sits
Newport
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #18 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Hurricanes4%Everything else7%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Newport has less expected damage per building than 76% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $607K a year in losses across Newport: $514K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Newport’s 1,526 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Troy town (1,722 residents) and North Troy village (631 residents) and Jay town (551 residents) and Westfield town (534 residents) and Troy CDP (261 residents) and Newport Center CDP (231 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 Newport flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newport, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2023
20232026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $3K
1
paid claims since 2023
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Newport

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$89K to the Town of Newport for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$36K to the Town of Newport for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$16K to the Town of Newport for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Newport for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$31K to the Town of Newport for repairs
  6. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Town of Newport for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Newport for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NewportOrleans County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Newport archive →
Next door

Newport and its neighbors

Newport is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Newport: hazard risk B+Troy: hazard risk A−Coventry: hazard risk C+Derby: hazard risk B+NewportTroyCoventryDerbyNewport
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TroyA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding6
NewportA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding1
DerbyB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding28
NewportB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding4
CoventryC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding4

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 Newport 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 Newport

Is Newport at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #18 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Newport flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Newport since 2023, $3K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (1).

Is Newport 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 Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Newport?

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

By FEMA money that reached Newport, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): $89K to the Town of Newport for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 1 paid, $3K.

Is Newport at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Newport’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newport.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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