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EastTopshamVT TownHallPhoto: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Topsham · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Topsham than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Topsham gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.

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 63%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 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2008 · $75K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 31 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What Topsham 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 81% 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% Lightning Wildfire 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 Topsham’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Topsham, and Topsham’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Topsham sits
Topsham
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Topsham’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 else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $496K a year in losses across Topsham: $421K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Topsham’s 1,199 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Corinth town (1,455 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 Topsham flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Topsham, from FEMA’s records: 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 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 claims200820092011
20082026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $21K
3
paid claims since 2008
$75K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$25K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Topsham 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

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Topsham

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$363K to the Town of Topsham for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Topsham for repairs
  3. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to the Town of Topsham for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$76K to the Town of Topsham for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $21K
  5. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the Town of Topsham for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$6K to the Town of Topsham for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TopshamOrange 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 Topsham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Topsham archive →
Next door

Topsham and its neighbors

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

Newbury: hazard risk C+Orange: hazard risk BGroton: not gradedCorinth: hazard risk C+NewburyOrangeGrotonCorinthTopsham
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
OrangeBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
NewburyC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding5
CorinthC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding2
TopshamC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding3
Groton—967 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 Topsham 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 Topsham

Is Topsham at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Topsham has higher expected damage per building than 63% 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 Topsham flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Topsham since 2008, $75K in all, or 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Topsham 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 Topsham?

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

By FEMA money that reached Topsham, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 2 households applied for aid, $29K approved, and $363K to the Town of Topsham for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $21K.

Is Topsham at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Topsham’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Topsham.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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