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Strafford vt meeting housePhoto: Curtis B. Johnson · Public domain
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Strafford · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Strafford faces more hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Strafford gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 92%Hurricanes 3%Strong wind 1%

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

more than 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Vermont · higher than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1996 · $139K
Disasters paid out here
13
of 31 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What Strafford 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Tornadoes Winter storms Landslides top 2% Wildfire Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves
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 Strafford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Strafford, and Strafford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Strafford sits
Strafford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Hurricanes3%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $526K a year in losses across Strafford: $452K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Strafford’s 1,094 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Tunbridge town (1,337 residents) and Chelsea town (1,233 residents) and Vershire town (672 residents) and Chelsea CDP (342 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 Strafford flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Strafford, from FEMA’s records: 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 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: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620112017
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene3 claims · $121K
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $10K
6
paid claims since 1996
$139K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$23K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Strafford 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.
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Strafford

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides17 households applied for aid$109K aid approved$2.0M to the Town of Strafford for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$29K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
  3. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$77K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
  4. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$210K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
  5. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$407K to the Town of Strafford for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$94K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$19K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene24 households applied for aid$31K aid approved$2.4M to the Town of Strafford for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $121K
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene$33K to the Town of Strafford for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $121K
  4. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$42K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$80K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
  6. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$49K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
  7. 2003Snow$32K to the Town of Strafford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in StraffordOrange 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 Strafford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Strafford archive →
Next door

Strafford and its neighbors

Strafford is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Tunbridge: hazard risk CSharon: hazard risk C+Vershire: not gradedThetford: hazard risk C+West Fairlee: not gradedRoyalton: hazard risk B−TunbridgeSharonVershireThetfordWest FairleeRoyaltonStrafford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RoyaltonB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding14
ThetfordC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding1
SharonC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding4
TunbridgeCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding21
StraffordCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding6
Vershire—842 residents; we grade 1,000+
West Fairlee—711 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 Strafford 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 ↗
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 Strafford

Is Strafford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Strafford has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Strafford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Strafford since 1996, $139K in all, or 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).

Is Strafford 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 Strafford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Strafford, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 24 households applied for aid, $31K approved, and $2.4M to the Town of Strafford for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $121K.

Is Strafford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Strafford’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Strafford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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