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Thetford Hill VT 5-8-26BPhoto: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Thetford · FEMA

FEMA puts Thetford’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thetford gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #60 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 92%Hurricanes 4%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 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#60 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
C+#60 of 71
in Vermont · higher than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2011 · $27K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 31 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What Thetford 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
Above average · higher than 80% 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 Lightning Wildfire Landslides 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 Thetford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Thetford, and Thetford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Thetford sits
Thetford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #60 of 71 in Vermont; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Hurricanes4%Everything else5%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Thetford has more expected damage per building than 84% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Thetford: $953K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Thetford’s 2,775 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 Thetford flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Thetford, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 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 Irene1 claim · $27K
1
paid claims since 2011
$27K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$27K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Thetford 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

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Thetford

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Thetford for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$18K to the Town of Thetford for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$2.2M to the Town of Thetford for repairs
  4. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$46K to the Town of Thetford for repairs
  5. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$44K to the Town of Thetford for repairs
  6. 2011Tropical Storm Irene1 households applied for aid$23K to the Town of Thetford for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $27K
Show all 7
  1. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$46K to the Town of Thetford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ThetfordOrange 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 Thetford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Thetford archive →
Next door

Thetford and its neighbors

Thetford has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lyme: hazard risk DNorwich: hazard risk CStrafford: hazard risk CLymeNorwichStraffordThetford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ThetfordC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding1
NorwichCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding3
StraffordCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding6
LymeDmore damage than 87%river and rain flooding1

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 Thetford 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 Thetford

Is Thetford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thetford has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #60 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Thetford flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Thetford since 2011, $27K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Thetford 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 Thetford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Thetford, Severe Storms and Flooding (2017): $2.2M to the Town of Thetford for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $27K.

Is Thetford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Thetford’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Thetford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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