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EastrupertPhoto: Linkracer at English Wikipedia · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Rupert · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Rupert

Rupert isn’t graded for hazard risk: Rupert has 676 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.

Flood claims
2
paid since 2011 · $19K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Bennington County
By hazard

What Rupert 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

88%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Lightning top 4% Winter storms Landslides top 4% Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 23% of Rupert’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Rupert flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rupert, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2011
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $19K
2
paid claims since 2011
$19K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Bennington County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rupert

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$41K to the Town of Rupert for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene8 households applied for aid$18K aid approved$347K to the Town of Rupert for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $19K
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$1.4M to the Town of Rupert for repairs
  4. 2004Tropical Depression Ivan$187K to the Town of Rupert for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Rupert for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$83K to the Town of Rupert for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RupertBennington County only

Bennington County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Rupert archive →
Next door

Rupert and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Pawlet: hazard risk C+Hebron: hazard risk CSandgate: not gradedDorset: hazard risk B+Salem: hazard risk C−PawletHebronSandgateDorsetSalemRupert
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DorsetB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding6
PawletC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding6
HebronCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding3
SalemC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding4
Sandgate—435 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 Rupert 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 Rupert

Does Rupert flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Rupert since 2011, $19K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Rupert 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 Bennington County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rupert?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rupert, Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms (2010): $1.4M to the Town of Rupert for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $19K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rupert.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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