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Sunderland Union Church, Sunderland VTPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sunderland · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Sunderland than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sunderland gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 93%Hurricanes 3%Tornadoes 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 77%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 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2011 · $186K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 18 declared for Bennington County
By hazard

What Sunderland 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

93%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Lightning top 3% Winter storms Landslides top 3% Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves
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 19% of Sunderland’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 Sunderland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sunderland, and Sunderland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sunderland sits
Sunderland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Hurricanes3%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $727K a year in losses across Sunderland: $564K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sunderland’s 1,056 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Arlington town (2,457 residents) and Arlington CDP (1,249 residents) and Sandgate town (387 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 Sunderland flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sunderland, from FEMA’s records: 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20112014
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $183K
3
paid claims since 2011
$186K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$62K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Sunderland 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

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sunderland

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

  1. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$22K to the Town of Sunderland for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene2 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$68K to the Town of Sunderland for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $183K
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Sunderland for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Sunderland for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Sunderland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SunderlandBennington 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 Sunderland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Sunderland archive →
Next door

Sunderland and its neighbors

Sunderland is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Arlington: hazard risk C−Stratton: not gradedManchester: hazard risk B+Winhall: hazard risk A−ArlingtonStrattonManchesterWinhallSunderland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WinhallA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding5
ManchesterB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding29
ArlingtonC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding12
SunderlandC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding3
Stratton—532 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 Sunderland 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 Sunderland

Is Sunderland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sunderland has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Sunderland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Sunderland since 2011, $186K in all, or 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Sunderland 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 Sunderland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Sunderland, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 2 households applied for aid, $8K approved, and $68K to the Town of Sunderland for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $183K.

Is Sunderland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Sunderland’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sunderland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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