Photo: Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Reading
Reading isn’t graded for hazard risk: Reading has 699 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2011.
What Reading 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
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.
Does Reading flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Reading, from FEMA’s records.
- The Vermont/New York Flooding3 claims · $342K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $68K
Reading isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Windsor County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Reading
Disasters that paid out in Reading itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Reading), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides27 households applied for aid$277K aid approved$1.3M to the Town of Reading for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene59 households applied for aid$194K aid approved$1.7M to the Town of Reading for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $68K
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Reading for repairs
- 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Reading for repairs
Windsor County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Reading after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Reading archive →Reading and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Windsor | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Woodstock | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Cavendish | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Plymouth | — | 533 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bridgewater | — | 980 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.
Get ready for what Reading faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Reading
Does Reading flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Reading since 2011, $417K in all. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (3).
Is Reading 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 Windsor County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Reading?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Reading’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 Reading?
By FEMA money that reached Reading, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 59 households applied for aid, $194K approved, and $1.7M to the Town of Reading for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 3 paid, $342K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Reading.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Reading’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.