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Poultney, VermontPhoto: Jared and Corin · CC BY-SA 2.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Poultney · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Poultney as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Poultney gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #46 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2000.

River and rain flooding 89%Hurricanes 4%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

less than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#46 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
B#46 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 2000 · $262K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 19 declared for Rutland County
By hazard

What Poultney 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Landslides Hail Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Poultney’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Poultney, and Poultney’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Poultney sits
Poultney
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #46 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Hurricanes4%Everything else8%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Poultney has more expected damage per building than 64% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Poultney: $784K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Poultney’s 3,020 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Wells town (1,214 residents) and Poultney village (1,079 residents) and Wells CDP (386 residents) and East Poultney CDP (288 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 Poultney flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2000

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Poultney, from FEMA’s records: 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 5 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim200020112019
20002026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $210K
9
paid claims since 2000
$262K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$29K
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

Poultney 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

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Poultney

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$85K to the Town of Poultney for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2014Severe Winter Storm$28K to the Town of Poultney for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$122K to the Town of Poultney for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $210K
  4. 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Poultney for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$40K to the Town of Poultney for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Poultney for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PoultneyRutland 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 Poultney after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Poultney archive →
Next door

Poultney and its neighbors

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

Hampton: not gradedCastleton: hazard risk A−Middletown Springs: not gradedFair Haven: hazard risk AWells: hazard risk BIra: not gradedHamptonCastletonMiddletown SpringsFair HavenWellsIraPoultney
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Fair HavenAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding4
CastletonA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding5
WellsBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
PoultneyBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding9
Hampton—not graded yet
Middletown Springs—747 residents; we grade 1,000+
Ira—381 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 Poultney 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 Poultney

Is Poultney at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Poultney has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #46 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Poultney flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Poultney since 2000, $262K in all, or 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).

Is Poultney 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 Poultney?

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

By FEMA money that reached Poultney, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): $122K to the Town of Poultney for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $210K.

Is Poultney at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Poultney’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Poultney.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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