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Williamstown VT church hsPhoto: The original uploader was Mickmaguire at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Williamstown · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Williamstown than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williamstown gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #39 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2007.

River and rain flooding 89%Hurricanes 5%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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#39 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
B#39 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2007 · $600K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
11
of 31 declared for Orange County

What stands out about Williamstown’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 64% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Williamstown 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% 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 Lightning Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Williamstown’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Williamstown, and Williamstown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Williamstown sits
Williamstown
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #39 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Hurricanes5%Everything else6%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Williamstown has more expected damage per building than 54% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $942K a year in losses across Williamstown: $734K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Williamstown’s 3,515 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Williamstown CDP (1,264 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 Williamstown flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2007

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Williamstown, from FEMA’s records: 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 3 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200720112023
20072026
Biggest named events
  • The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $548K
7
paid claims since 2007
$600K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$86K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Williamstown 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Williamstown

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$60K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$381K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  3. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides127 households applied for aid$575K aid approved$1.2M to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  4. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$21K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  5. 2014Severe Winter Storm$34K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  6. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$307K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 11
  1. 2011Tropical Storm Irene6 households applied for aid$40K aid approved$8K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$101K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$90K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$221K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$6K to the Town of Williamstown for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WilliamstownOrange 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 Williamstown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Williamstown archive →
Next door

Williamstown and its neighbors

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

Barre: not gradedNorthfield: hazard risk B−Washington: hazard risk BBerlin: hazard risk B−Graniteville: not gradedBarreNorthfieldWashingtonBerlinGranitevilleWilliamstown
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WilliamstownBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding7
WashingtonBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
BerlinB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding57
NorthfieldB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding34
Barre—not graded yet
Graniteville—244 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 Williamstown 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 Williamstown

Is Williamstown at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williamstown has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #39 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Williamstown flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Williamstown since 2007, $600K in all, or 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (2).

Is Williamstown 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 Williamstown?

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

By FEMA money that reached Williamstown, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 127 households applied for aid, $575K approved, and $1.2M to the Town of Williamstown for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 2 paid, $548K.

Is Williamstown at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Williamstown’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Williamstown.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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