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Vermont Route 133 heading northward through PawletPhoto: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pawlet · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pawlet than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pawlet gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 91%Hurricanes 3%Strong wind 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 61%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 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 2011 · $160K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 19 declared for Rutland County
By hazard

What Pawlet 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

91%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Tornadoes Earthquakes 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 Pawlet’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pawlet, and Pawlet’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pawlet sits
Pawlet
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Hurricanes3%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $657K a year in losses across Pawlet: $526K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pawlet’s 1,424 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with West Pawlet CDP (220 residents) and Pawlet CDP (194 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 Pawlet flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pawlet, from FEMA’s records: 7.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 5 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 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 claims20112019
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $70K
6
paid claims since 2011
$160K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$27K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rutland County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pawlet

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

  1. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the Town of Pawlet for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene33 households applied for aid$111K aid approved$295K to the Town of Pawlet for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $70K
  3. 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Pawlet for repairs
  4. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$39K to the Town of Pawlet for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Pawlet for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PawletRutland County only

Rutland County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Pawlet archive →
Next door

Pawlet and its neighbors

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

Granville: hazard risk B−West Pawlet: not gradedWells: hazard risk BRupert: not gradedDanby: hazard risk B−GranvilleWest PawletWellsRupertDanbyPawlet
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WellsBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
GranvilleB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding4
DanbyB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding1
PawletC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding6
West Pawlet—368 residents; we grade 1,000+
Rupert—676 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 Pawlet 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 Pawlet

Is Pawlet at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pawlet has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Pawlet flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Pawlet since 2011, $160K in all, or 7.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).

Is Pawlet 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 Rutland County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pawlet?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pawlet, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 33 households applied for aid, $111K approved, and $295K to the Town of Pawlet for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $70K.

Is Pawlet at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Pawlet’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pawlet.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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