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2008 library Warren Vermont 2611591841Photo: Doug Shick from Warren, Vermont, USA · CC BY 2.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Warren · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Warren than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warren gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 90%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 2%

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

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Vermont · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
13
paid since 1987 · $222K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 29 declared for Washington County

What stands out about Warren’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.FEMA-funded flood-proofing4 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 1 building floodproofed with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Warren 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

90%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Landslides top 2% Lightning Tornadoes 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 Warren’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Warren, and Warren’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Warren sits
Warren
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Hurricanes4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $736K a year in losses across Warren: $610K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Warren’s 1,977 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 Warren flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Warren, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 5 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 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 claims198719982011
19872026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $107K
13
paid claims since 1987
$222K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Warren isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Washington County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1building floodproofed
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Warren

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$24K to the Town of Warren for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$35K to the Town of Warren for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene46 households applied for aid$122K aid approved$591K to the Town of Warren for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $107K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WarrenWashington County only

Washington County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Warren after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Warren archive →
Next door

Warren and its neighbors

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

Lincoln: hazard risk C+Fayston: hazard risk B−Roxbury: not gradedGranville: not gradedWaitsfield: hazard risk B−LincolnFaystonRoxburyGranvilleWaitsfieldWarren
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WarrenB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding13
FaystonB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding1
WaitsfieldB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding21
LincolnC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding6
Roxbury—942 residents; we grade 1,000+
Granville—414 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 Warren 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 Warren

Is Warren at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warren has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Warren flood?

Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Warren since 1987, $222K in all, or 5.2 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 (5).

Is Warren 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 Washington County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Warren?

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

By FEMA money that reached Warren, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 46 households applied for aid, $122K approved, and $591K to the Town of Warren for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $107K.

Is Warren at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Warren’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Warren.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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