Natural hazards · Shelton

Shelton, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Shelton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 138 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Shelton?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Shelton to be higher than in 58% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding69%Hurricanes20%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Shelton faces

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

Inland flooding

69% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

20% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% 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 Shelton flood?

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

138paid claims since 1978

$1.9Mpaid to owners

21homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 31 claims, $124K
Hurricane Irene: 5 claims, $38K
March 2010 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $32K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (6) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: .

What’s been done with FEMA grants

6homes raised above flood level

Around Shelton

Shelton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Derbymostly inland floodingHigh

Stratfordmostly inland floodingHigh

Sheltonmostly inland floodingModerate

Orangemostly inland floodingModerate

Seymourmostly inland floodingModerate

Oxfordmostly inland floodingModerate

Trumbullmostly inland floodingModerate

Monroemostly 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. Shelton covers 9 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Shelton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Shelton. 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 Shelton total about $12.5M 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.