Natural hazards · Waterbury

Waterbury, CT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Waterbury comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 66 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Waterbury?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Waterbury to be higher than in 71% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding73%Hurricanes16%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Waterbury faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

16% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Waterbury flood?

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

66paid claims since 1978

$1.7Mpaid to owners

5homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Not a named storm: 17 claims, $294K
Hurricane Ida: 6 claims, $664K
Hurricane Irene: 3 claims, $16K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Waterbury 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 Waterbury

Waterbury and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Naugatuckmostly inland floodingHigh

Waterburymostly inland floodingHigh

Plymouthmostly inland floodingHigh

Cheshiremostly inland floodingModerate

Watertownmostly inland floodingModerate

Wolcottmostly inland floodingModerate

Middleburymostly inland floodingModerate

Prospectmostly 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. Waterbury covers 28 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Waterbury’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Waterbury. 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 Waterbury total about $32.2M 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.