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Calef library washington vtPhoto: No machine-readable author provided. Jessamyn assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Washington · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Washington as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Washington gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.

River and rain flooding 90%Hurricanes 4%Strong wind 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 56%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 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2023 · $11K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 31 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What Washington 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
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Earthquakes Winter storms Tornadoes Ice storms Landslides top 4% 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 Washington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Washington, and Washington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Washington sits
Washington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Washington’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 $332K a year in losses across Washington: $270K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Washington’s 1,032 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Orange town (1,048 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 Washington flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Washington, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2023
20232026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $11K
1
paid claims since 2023
$11K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Washington 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

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Washington

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$6K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$59K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  3. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides29 households applied for aid$167K aid approved$1.3M to the Town of Washington for repairs
  4. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  5. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  6. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the Town of Washington for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$52K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the Town of Washington for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$18K to the Town of Washington for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WashingtonOrange 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 Washington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Washington archive →
Next door

Washington and its neighbors

Washington is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Corinth: hazard risk C+Chelsea: hazard risk CWilliamstown: hazard risk BOrange: hazard risk BCorinthChelseaWilliamstownOrangeWashington
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WilliamstownBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding7
OrangeBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
WashingtonBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
CorinthC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding2
ChelseaCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding17

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 Washington 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 Washington

Is Washington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Washington has lower expected damage per building than 56% 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 Washington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Washington since 2023, $11K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (1).

Is Washington 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 Washington?

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

By FEMA money that reached Washington, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 29 households applied for aid, $167K approved, and $1.3M to the Town of Washington for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 1 paid, $11K.

Is Washington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Washington’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Washington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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