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Main Street in downtown Randolph, Vermont 01Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Randolph · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Randolph than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Randolph gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #26 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 87%Hurricanes 5%Earthquakes 3%

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 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#26 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
B+#26 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1998 · $537K
Disasters paid out here
11
of 31 declared for Orange County

What stands out about Randolph’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 74% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Randolph 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

87%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Tornadoes Ice 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 Randolph’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Randolph, and Randolph’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Randolph sits
Randolph
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #26 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hurricanes5%Everything else7%

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

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Randolph: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Randolph’s 4,774 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Randolph CDP (2,083 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 Randolph flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Randolph, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820112023
19982026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $24K
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $479K
6
paid claims since 1998
$537K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$89K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orange County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Randolph

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$146K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides23 households applied for aid$60K aid approved$2.5M to the Town of Randolph for repairs
  3. 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$4K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
  4. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$265K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
  5. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$4K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
  6. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene84 households applied for aid$321K aid approved$733K to the Town of Randolph for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $479K
  3. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$1.1M to the Town of Randolph for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Randolph for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RandolphOrange County only

Orange County has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Randolph archive →
Next door

Randolph and its neighbors

Randolph has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Tunbridge: hazard risk CBrookfield: hazard risk C+Braintree: hazard risk C+Bethel: hazard risk CRoyalton: hazard risk B−TunbridgeBrookfieldBraintreeBethelRoyaltonRandolph
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RandolphB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding6
RoyaltonB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding14
BrookfieldC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding—
BraintreeC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding2
BethelCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding16
TunbridgeCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding21

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 Randolph 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 ↗
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 Randolph

Is Randolph at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Randolph has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #26 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (5%). 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 Randolph flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Randolph since 1998, $537K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (2).

Is Randolph 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 Orange County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Randolph?

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

By FEMA money that reached Randolph, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 23 households applied for aid, $60K approved, and $2.5M to the Town of Randolph for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 2 paid, $24K.

Is Randolph at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Randolph’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Randolph.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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