Storms, floods and disasters in Wardsboro
Wardsboro isn’t graded for hazard risk: Wardsboro has 820 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1982.
What Wardsboro 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
Hurricanes
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.
Does Wardsboro flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wardsboro, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene7 claims · $482K
- The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $13K
Wardsboro isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Windham County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wardsboro
Disasters that paid out in Wardsboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wardsboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides33 households applied for aid$228K aid approved$1.4M to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$200K to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$91K to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene57 households applied for aid$120K aid approved$2.3M to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $482K
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$13K to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$413K to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs
Show all 8
- 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$21K to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs
Windham County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Wardsboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wardsboro archive →Wardsboro and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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.
Get ready for what Wardsboro faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Wardsboro
Does Wardsboro flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Wardsboro since 1982, $495K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (7).
Is Wardsboro 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 Windham County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wardsboro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wardsboro’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 Wardsboro?
By FEMA money that reached Wardsboro, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 57 households applied for aid, $120K approved, and $2.3M to the Town of Wardsboro for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 7 paid, $482K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wardsboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wardsboro’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.