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Westford Covered BridgePhoto: Abarrows93 · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Westford · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Westford faces less hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westford gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 92%Earthquakes 2%Hurricanes 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 62%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 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 29 declared for Chittenden County

What stands out about Westford’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 62% 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.
By hazard

What Westford 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
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Tornadoes Winter storms Landslides top 2% Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 19% of Westford’s expected losses. Avalanches 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 Westford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westford, and Westford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Westford sits
Westford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $757K a year in losses across Westford: $526K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Westford’s 2,062 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Underhill town (3,129 residents) and Bolton town (1,301 residents) and Bolton Valley CDP (295 residents) and Underhill Center CDP (142 residents) and Westford CDP (99 residents) and Bolton CDP (23 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 Westford flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Westford. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chittenden County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Westford

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$36K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$21K to the Town of Westford for repairs
  3. 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$455K to the Town of Westford for repairs
  4. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$13K to the Town of Westford for repairs
  5. 2014Severe Winter Storm$11K to the Town of Westford for repairs
  6. 2013Severe Winter Storms$47K to the Town of Westford for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$625K to the Town of Westford for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$6K to the Town of Westford for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storm$9K to the Town of Westford for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WestfordChittenden County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Westford archive →
Next door

Westford and its neighbors

Westford is 5th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Underhill: hazard risk BFairfax: hazard risk BMilton: hazard risk A−Essex: hazard risk AGeorgia: hazard risk A−Cambridge: hazard risk C+UnderhillFairfaxMiltonEssexGeorgiaCambridgeWestford
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
EssexAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding1
MiltonA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding23
GeorgiaA−less damage than 75%river and rain flooding5
UnderhillBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding10
WestfordBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding0
FairfaxBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding3
CambridgeC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding14

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 Westford 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 Westford

Is Westford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westford has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B 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.

Is Westford 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 Chittenden County, 35% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Westford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Westford, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $625K to the Town of Westford for repairs.

Is Westford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Westford’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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