Photo: redjar · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Ripton
Ripton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Ripton has 508 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2000.
What Ripton 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
Hurricanes
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 Ripton flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ripton, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $8K
Ripton 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.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ripton
Disasters that paid out in Ripton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ripton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$627K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$312K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$25K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$51K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm$17K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
Show all 12
- 2012Severe Storm, Tornado, and Flooding$23K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene6 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$113K to the Town of Ripton for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $8K
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$189K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$597K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Ripton for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$476K to the Town of Ripton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Addison County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Ripton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ripton archive →Ripton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlebury | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Salisbury | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bristol | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lincoln | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Granville | — | 414 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hancock | — | 435 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Goshen | — | 142 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 Ripton 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.
- 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.
- 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 Ripton
Does Ripton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Ripton since 2000, $89K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Ripton 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 Ripton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ripton’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 Ripton?
By FEMA money that reached Ripton, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $627K to the Town of Ripton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $8K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ripton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ripton’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.