Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Woodford
Woodford isn’t graded for hazard risk: Woodford has 282 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Woodford 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 Woodford flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Woodford. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Woodford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bennington County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Woodford
Disasters that paid out in Woodford itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Woodford), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene30 households applied for aid$100K aid approved$266K to the Town of Woodford for repairs
Bennington County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms.
Old photos of Woodford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodford archive →Woodford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pownal | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Bennington | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Searsburg | — | 129 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Stamford | — | 963 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 Woodford 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 Woodford
Is Woodford 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 Bennington County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Woodford?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodford’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 Woodford?
By FEMA money that reached Woodford, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 30 households applied for aid, $100K approved, and $266K to the Town of Woodford for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodford.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodford’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.