Natural hazards · Orange

Orange, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Orange comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 129 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Orange?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Orange to be higher than in 52% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding65%Hurricanes24%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Orange faces

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

Inland flooding

65% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

24% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Orange flood?

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

129paid claims since 1979

$1.6Mpaid to owners

18homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 38 claims, $384K
Hurricane Ida: 11 claims, $247K
Hurricane Elsa: 3 claims, $76K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (8) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Orange isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: .

Around Orange

Orange and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Derbymostly inland floodingHigh

Sheltonmostly inland floodingModerate

New 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. Orange covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Orange’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Orange. 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 Orange total about $5.9M 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.