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West Rutland Vermont high shool 20040701Photo: Redjar at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in West Rutland · FEMA

FEMA puts West Rutland’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Rutland gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 87%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 4%

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 75%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 75% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 2011 · $55K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 19 declared for Rutland County
By hazard

What West Rutland 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

87%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of West Rutland’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 West Rutland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Rutland, and West Rutland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Where West Rutland sits
West Rutland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hurricanes4%Earthquakes4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $570K a year in losses across West Rutland: $403K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of West Rutland’s 2,214 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with West Rutland CDP (1,898 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 West Rutland flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in West Rutland, from FEMA’s records: 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 6 claims2012: 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 Irene6 claims · $55K
6
paid claims since 2011
$55K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rutland County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West Rutland

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  2. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$736K to the Town of West Rutland for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene52 households applied for aid$106K aid approved$19K to the Town of West Rutland for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $55K
  4. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of West Rutland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in West RutlandRutland County only

Rutland County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the West Rutland archive →
Next door

West Rutland and its neighbors

West Rutland is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Proctor: hazard risk C+Rutland: hazard risk A+Ira: not gradedPittsford: hazard risk B+ProctorRutlandIraPittsfordWest Rutland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RutlandA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding7
West RutlandB+less damage than 75%river and rain flooding6
PittsfordB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding3
ProctorC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding15
Ira—381 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 West Rutland 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 West Rutland

Is West Rutland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Rutland has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). 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 West Rutland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in West Rutland since 2011, $55K in all, or 5.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (6).

Is West Rutland 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 Rutland County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in West Rutland?

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

By FEMA money that reached West Rutland, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): $736K to the Town of West Rutland for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 6 paid, $55K.

Is West Rutland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and West Rutland’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Rutland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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