Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Rutland

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rutland · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Rutland than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rutland gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #1 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1981.

River and rain flooding 82%Hurricanes 6%Earthquakes 4%

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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#1 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
A+#1 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 1981 · $251K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 19 declared for Rutland County
By hazard

What Rutland 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

82%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 8% of Rutland’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Rutland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rutland, and Rutland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rutland sits
Rutland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #1 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Hurricanes6%Earthquakes4%Everything else8%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rutland has less expected damage per building than 100% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Rutland: $874K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Rutland’s 3,924 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Rutland flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rutland, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 3 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 claims198120112023
19812026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene3 claims · $94K
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $80K
7
paid claims since 1981
$251K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$36K
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

Rutland 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 Rutland

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of Rutland for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Winter Storm$10K to the Town of Rutland for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$19K to the Town of Rutland for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $94K
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$29K to the Town of Rutland for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$10K to the Town of Rutland for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Rutland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RutlandRutland 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 Rutland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rutland archive →
Next door

Rutland and its neighbors

Rutland has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Proctor: hazard risk C+West Rutland: hazard risk B+Mendon: hazard risk AClarendon: hazard risk A−Pittsford: hazard risk B+Chittenden: hazard risk BProctorWest RutlandMendonClarendonPittsfordChittendenRutland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RutlandA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding7
MendonAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding21
ClarendonA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding1
West RutlandB+less damage than 75%river and rain flooding6
PittsfordB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding3
ChittendenBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding1
ProctorC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding15

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 Rutland 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 Rutland

Is Rutland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rutland has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #1 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Rutland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Rutland since 1981, $251K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).

Is Rutland 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 Rutland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rutland, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): $29K to the Town of Rutland for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $94K.

Is Rutland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Rutland’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rutland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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