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AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Orwell · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Orwell than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orwell gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 82%Hurricanes 6%Earthquakes 5%

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 90%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A
in Vermont · lower than 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 27 declared for Addison County
By hazard

What Orwell 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

82%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Orwell’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orwell, and Orwell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Orwell sits
Orwell
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hurricanes6%Earthquakes5%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $375K a year in losses across Orwell: $278K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Orwell’s 1,239 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Shoreham town (1,260 residents) and Bridport town (1,225 residents) and Cornwall town (1,207 residents) and Whiting town (405 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 Orwell flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Orwell. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Addison County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orwell

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

  1. 2014Severe Winter Storm$21K to the Town of Orwell for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$56K to the Town of Orwell for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$18K to the Town of Orwell for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$19K to the Town of Orwell for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Orwell for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Orwell for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OrwellAddison County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Orwell archive →
Next door

Orwell and its neighbors

Orwell is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Putnam: not gradedTiconderoga: hazard risk CShoreham: hazard risk AWhiting: not gradedBenson: not gradedSudbury: not gradedPutnamTiconderogaShorehamWhitingBensonSudburyOrwell
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ShorehamAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding1
OrwellAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding0
TiconderogaCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding4
Putnam—540 residents; we grade 1,000+
Whiting—532 residents; we grade 1,000+
Benson—784 residents; we grade 1,000+
Sudbury—679 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 Orwell 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Orwell

Is Orwell at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orwell has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (6%). 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.

Is Orwell 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 Addison County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Orwell?

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

By FEMA money that reached Orwell, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 2 households applied for aid, $3K approved, and $56K to the Town of Orwell for repairs.

Is Orwell at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Orwell’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orwell.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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