Natural hazards · Stafford

Stafford, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Stafford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1996.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Stafford?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Stafford to be higher than in 65% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding84%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Stafford faces

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

Inland flooding

84% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Stafford flood?

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

16paid claims since 1996

$385Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

Biggest named events

March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $4K
Hurricane Elsa: 1 claim, $5K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Stafford 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 Stafford

Stafford and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Staffordmostly inland floodingHigh

Willingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Monsonmostly inland floodingModerate

Ellingtonmostly inland floodingModerate

Somersmostly inland floodingLow

Unionmostly 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. Stafford covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Stafford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Stafford. 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 Stafford total about $4.2M 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.