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Natural hazards · Essex

Essex, VT natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Essex comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1995. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Essex?

10
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Essex to be higher than in 10% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Heat waves7%Cold waves5%Earthquakes5%Everything else17%
By hazard

What Essex faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 28% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 9% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Essex flood?

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

1paid claims since 1995
$7Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19952026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Essex isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chittenden County.
Disasters that hit Essex

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Essex itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Essex.

Brought FEMA money into EssexDeclared for Chittenden County only
2019

Severe Storm and Flooding

$114K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2017

Severe Storm and Flooding

$55K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storms

$5K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2013

Severe Storms and Flooding

$272K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2011

Severe Storms and Flooding

$71K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2010

Severe Storm

$45K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

$102K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2001

Snow

$16K to the Town of Essex for repairs
Chittenden County has had 29 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Essex

Essex and the towns around it

Williston: Very low, mostly inland floodingEssex Junction: Low, mostly inland floodingSouth Burlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingJericho: Very low, mostly inland floodingWestford: Low, mostly inland floodingColchester: Very low, mostly inland floodingUnderhill: Low, mostly inland floodingRichmond: High, mostly inland floodingSt. George: Very low, mostly inland floodingBurlington: Low, mostly inland floodingWillsboro: High, mostly inland floodingChesterfield: High, mostly inland floodingShelburne: Very low, mostly inland floodingWinooski: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBolton: Low, mostly inland floodingFairfax: Low, mostly inland floodingMilton: Low, mostly inland floodingGeorgia: Low, mostly inland floodingCambridge: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth Hero: Moderate, mostly inland floodingAu Sable: High, mostly inland floodingStowe: Low, mostly inland floodingEssex: Very low, mostly inland flooding EssexWillistonEssex JunctionSouth BurlingtonJerichoWestfordColchesterUnderhill
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Westfordmostly inland floodingLow
Underhillmostly inland floodingLow
Essex Junctionmostly inland floodingLow
Jerichomostly inland floodingVery low
Willistonmostly inland floodingVery low
Colchestermostly inland floodingVery low
Essexmostly inland floodingVery low
South Burlingtonmostly inland floodingVery low
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. Essex covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Essex’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Essex. 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 Essex total about $2.0M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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