Photo: Jared and Corin · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Windham
Windham isn’t graded for hazard risk: Windham has 594 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Windham 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
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.
Does Windham flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Windham. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Windham 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Windham
Disasters that paid out in Windham itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Windham), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$87K to the Town of Windham for repairs
- 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$430K to the Town of Windham for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene9 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$647K to the Town of Windham for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$132K to the Town of Windham for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$141K to the Town of Windham for repairs
- 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Windham for repairs
Windham County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Windham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Windham archive →Windham and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Londonderry | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Townshend | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Chester | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
| Grafton | — | 666 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Jamaica | — | 882 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Andover | — | 616 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.
Get ready for what Windham faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Windham
Is Windham 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 Windham?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Windham’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 Windham?
By FEMA money that reached Windham, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 9 households applied for aid, $2K approved, and $647K to the Town of Windham for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Windham.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Windham’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.