Natural hazards · Fairfield

Fairfield, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Fairfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2,056 claims here since 1978.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Fairfield?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Fairfield to be higher than in 72% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.

Inland flooding45%Coastal flooding29%Hurricanes19%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Fairfield faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

45% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

29% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Fairfield flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairfield, from FEMA’s records.

2,056paid claims since 1978

$56.3Mpaid to owners

173homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy: 968 claims, $42.6M
December Storm - Nor'easter: 303 claims, $5.5M
Hurricane Irene: 167 claims, $3.3M

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 3 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (35) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

🏷️ 10% off flood insurance. Fairfield is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: .

What’s been done with FEMA grants

58homes raised above flood level

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

1buildings floodproofed

Around Fairfield

Fairfield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bridgeportmostly inland floodingHigh

Fairfieldmostly inland floodingHigh

Westonmostly inland floodingHigh

Westportmostly inland floodingHigh

Trumbullmostly inland floodingModerate

Eastonmostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Fairfield covers 16 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Fairfield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Fairfield. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Fairfield total about $30.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.