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Westminster Town HallPhoto: Putneypics · CC BY 2.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Westminster · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Westminster than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westminster gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #40 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 87%Hurricanes 6%Tornadoes 3%

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 63%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#40 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
B#40 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1987 · $483K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Windham County
By hazard

What Westminster 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
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Landslides top 5% Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
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 10% of Westminster’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 Westminster’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westminster, and Westminster’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Westminster sits
Westminster
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #40 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hurricanes6%Everything else7%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Westminster has more expected damage per building than 56% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Westminster: $826K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Westminster’s 3,016 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Westminster village (287 residents) and North Westminster CDP (262 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 Westminster flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Westminster, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 3 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198720112023
19872026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $407K
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding1 claim · $45K
6
paid claims since 1987
$483K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$80K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Westminster 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.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Westminster

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

  1. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$969K to the Town of Westminster for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$623K to the Town of Westminster for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $407K
  3. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$104K to the Town of Westminster for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$29K to the Town of Westminster for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Westminster for repairs
  6. 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$17K to the Town of Westminster for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WestminsterWindham County only

Windham County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Westminster archive →
Next door

Westminster and its neighbors

Westminster is 2nd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Walpole: hazard risk C+Rockingham: hazard risk CPutney: hazard risk B+Westminster: not gradedAthens: not gradedNorth Westminster: not gradedBellows Falls: hazard risk C−Brookline: not gradedWestmoreland: hazard risk B−WalpoleRockinghamPutneyWestminsterAthensNorth WestminsterBellows FallsBrooklineWestmorelandWestminster
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
PutneyB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
WestminsterBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding6
WestmorelandB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding2
WalpoleC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding—
RockinghamCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding4
Bellows FallsC−more damage than 75%river and rain flooding—
Westminster—497 residents; we grade 1,000+
Athens—431 residents; we grade 1,000+
North Westminster—125 residents; we grade 1,000+
Brookline—531 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 Westminster 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 Westminster

Is Westminster at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westminster has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #40 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Westminster flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Westminster since 1987, $483K in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Westminster 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 Westminster?

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

By FEMA money that reached Westminster, Severe Storm and Flooding (2021): $969K to the Town of Westminster for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $407K.

Is Westminster at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Westminster’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westminster.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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