Natural hazards · New Haven

New Haven, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in New Haven comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 313 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is New Haven?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in New Haven to be higher than in 56% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding58%Hurricanes21%Earthquakes6%Coastal flooding6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What New Haven faces

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

Inland flooding

58% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Coastal flooding

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 New Haven flood?

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

313paid claims since 1978

$4.7Mpaid to owners

45homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 70 claims, $832K
Hurricane Sandy: 46 claims, $2.0M
Hurricane Irene: 31 claims, $418K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

🏷️ 15% off flood insurance. New Haven is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: .

What’s been done with FEMA grants

2buildings retrofitted against wind

Around New Haven

New Haven and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

East Havenmostly inland floodingHigh

Hamdenmostly inland floodingHigh

New Havenmostly inland floodingModerate

North Havenmostly inland floodingModerate

Orangemostly inland floodingModerate

Woodbridgemostly inland floodingModerate

West Havenmostly inland floodingModerate

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. New Haven covers 32 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to New Haven’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of New Haven. 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 New Haven total about $33.3M 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.