FEMA declarations
62
Below median
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Vermont Natural Disasters
Vermont's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 62 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by severe storm, with $235.8M in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 3,449 recorded weather events resulting in 22 fatalities, a toll that informs where the state directs disaster-preparedness resources.
- 62
- FEMA declarations
- 3,449
- NOAA storm events
- 22
- Storm fatalities
- $235.8M
- Property + crop damage
The Vermont risk picture
0 of the 14 counties FEMA scores, 0%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with riverine flooding the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. Vermont has 55 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 7 injuries statewide.
- 0%
- of counties rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 62
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $235.8M
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 3,688
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide
FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.
Major Disaster share
89%
Mostly major
NOAA storm events
3,449
Observed severe-weather records
How does Vermont compare?
Vermont vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
62 39th percentile higher than 39% of 59 states and territories
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Vermont county risk-score spread
FEMA National Risk Index composite scores, 0–100
36.4 Top 50% higher than 50% of 14 county composite scores
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more county composite scores. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA National Risk Index (NRI), county composite scores · 2026-08-03
The declaration chart counts past federal actions. The county score chart summarizes FEMA's modeled National Risk Index composite; it is not a forecast, and a state average does not describe every county.
Do more storms mean more federal disasters?
Vermont sits at the 35th percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 18th percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.
FEMA declaration rank vs NOAA storm-event rank
Read the chart, every state as text
Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.
| State | FEMA decls | FEMA %ile | NOAA storms | NOAA %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 396 | 98 | 23,694 | 93 |
| Texas | 389 | 96 | 53,309 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 258 | 95 | 23,896 | 95 |
| Washington | 215 | 93 | 4,408 | 22 |
| Florida | 188 | 91 | 12,838 | 55 |
| Oregon | 169 | 89 | 3,695 | 20 |
| New Mexico | 126 | 87 | 10,974 | 45 |
| Arizona | 120 | 85 | 9,541 | 38 |
| New York | 118 | 84 | 21,653 | 82 |
| Montana | 112 | 82 | 13,576 | 56 |
| Colorado | 111 | 78 | 18,340 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 111 | 78 | 11,204 | 47 |
| Nevada | 110 | 76 | 4,534 | 24 |
| Alabama | 102 | 75 | 14,583 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 98 | 71 | 19,947 | 78 |
| Mississippi | 98 | 71 | 14,100 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 97 | 69 | 16,645 | 69 |
| South Dakota | 96 | 67 | 22,759 | 87 |
| Alaska | 94 | 64 | 2,683 | 15 |
| Kansas | 94 | 64 | 25,115 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 87 | 60 | 13,637 | 58 |
| Nebraska | 87 | 60 | 20,136 | 80 |
| Missouri | 86 | 58 | 22,952 | 89 |
| North Carolina | 85 | 56 | 16,367 | 67 |
| West Virginia | 84 | 55 | 12,026 | 49 |
| Georgia | 81 | 51 | 16,676 | 71 |
| Minnesota | 81 | 51 | 19,109 | 75 |
| Iowa | 78 | 49 | 21,883 | 84 |
| Virginia | 77 | 47 | 23,584 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 45 | 10,818 | 44 |
| Hawaii | 72 | 44 | 6,200 | 31 |
| Maine | 71 | 42 | 4,781 | 27 |
| Illinois | 68 | 40 | 22,088 | 85 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 38 | 19,427 | 76 |
| New Hampshire | 63 | 36 | 2,547 | 11 |
| Vermont | 62 | 35 | 3,449 | 18 |
| Idaho | 60 | 31 | 5,142 | 29 |
| Ohio | 60 | 31 | 16,184 | 65 |
| Massachusetts | 59 | 25 | 6,781 | 33 |
| New Jersey | 59 | 25 | 8,218 | 35 |
| Utah | 59 | 25 | 4,578 | 25 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 24 | 13,807 | 60 |
| Indiana | 54 | 22 | 12,687 | 53 |
| Puerto Rico | 51 | 18 | 2,944 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 51 | 18 | 10,520 | 42 |
| Michigan | 46 | 16 | 9,052 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 15 | 12,494 | 51 |
| Connecticut | 43 | 13 | 2,622 | 13 |
| Maryland | 38 | 11 | 10,290 | 40 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 33 | 9 | 88 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 31 | 7 | 924 | 7 |
| Delaware | 26 | 5 | 1,475 | 9 |
| Guam | 25 | 4 | 258 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 2 | 452 | 5 |
| American Samoa | 17 | 0 | 292 | 4 |
What shapes Vermont's record?
FEMA declaration types in Vermont
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Severe Storm
Severe Storm
29 declarations
- Flood
Flood
22 declarations
- Hurricane 3
Hurricane
3 declarations
- Biological 2
Biological
2 declarations
- Severe Ice Storm 2
Severe Ice Storm
2 declarations
- Drought 2
Drought
2 declarations
- Snowstorm 1
Snowstorm
1 declarations
- Tropical Storm 1
Tropical Storm
1 declarations
What this shows Severe Storm leads Vermont's FEMA declaration mix with 29 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year
Reported severe-weather events in Vermont, 2015–2025 catalog window.
Peak year in this series: 2025 (378 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
39 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Vermont · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Moderate
11/30
62 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.7x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Low
4/25
3449 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (0.3x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) Low
4/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (0.4x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Vermont
What does Vermont's hazard record show?
FEMA disaster declarations
Vermont (VT) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 62 FEMA declaration records, including 55 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Severe Storm, followed by Flood (22), Hurricane (3), Biological (2). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 14Vermont counties have filed 3,688 NFIP claims totaling $117.6M, or an average of $31.9K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Riverine Flooding, estimated at $0.2B annually. Drill into individual counties for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, Vermont recorded 3,449 individual storm events, causing 22 fatalities and 7 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $235.8M. The most frequent event types in the state are Winter Weather (882 events), Thunderstorm Wind (694 events), Winter Storm (646 events). Across the 14counties FEMA scores here, its National Risk Index flags 0 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 36.4/100.
What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.
Disaster Types in Vermont
Severe Storm 29
Flood 22
Hurricane 3
Biological 2
Severe Ice Storm 2
Drought 2
Snowstorm 1
Tropical Storm 1
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for Vermont (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | 882 | 7 | 0 | $2.8M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 694 | 3 | 4 | $7.1M |
| Winter Storm | 646 | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Strong Wind | 352 | 0 | 0 | $5.7M |
| Flash Flood | 170 | 5 | 1 | $190.0M |
| Hail | 117 | 0 | 0 | $89.0K |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 109 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Flood | 103 | 0 | 0 | $6.6M |
| Heat | 90 | 4 | 0 | $0 |
| High Wind | 88 | 1 | 0 | $8.0M |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 88 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Heavy Snow | 33 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Frost/Freeze | 25 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Drought | 19 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| Ice Storm | 5 | 0 | 0 | $25.0K |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | 2 | $135.0K |
| Blizzard | 4 | 0 | 0 | $75.0K |
| Excessive Heat | 3 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 378 | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 2024 | 350 | 3 | 0 | $26.6M |
| 2023 | 351 | 2 | 1 | $147.5M |
| 2022 | 371 | 2 | 2 | $5.6M |
| 2021 | 350 | 2 | 3 | $7.8M |
| 2020 | 231 | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 2019 | 317 | 2 | 0 | $9.2M |
| 2018 | 311 | 4 | 0 | $5.3M |
| 2017 | 346 | 0 | 1 | $14.5M |
| 2016 | 210 | 2 | 0 | $3.9M |
| 2015 | 234 | 5 | 0 | $3.6M |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 62 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 62 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
62 unique disaster declarations in Vermont.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4826 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2024-09-26 |
| 4816 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-09-11 |
| 4810 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-08-20 |
| 3609 | TROPICAL DEPRESSION DEBBY | EM | Tropical Storm | 2024-08-08 |
| 4770 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-19 |
| 4762 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-03-02 |
| 4744 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2023-10-06 |
| 4720 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-07-14 |
| 3595 | FLOODING | EM | Flood | 2023-07-10 |
| 4695 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-03-20 |
| 4621 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2021-09-29 |
| 3567 | TROPICAL STORM HENRI | EM | Hurricane | 2021-08-22 |
| 4532 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-08 |
| 3437 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4474 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2020-01-17 |
| 4445 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2019-06-14 |
| 4380 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-07-30 |
| 4356 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-01-02 |
| 4330 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-08-16 |
| 4232 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-07-29 |
| 4207 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-02-03 |
| 4178 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2014-06-11 |
| 4163 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2014-01-29 |
| 4140 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2013-08-02 |
| 4120 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2013-06-13 |
| 4066 | SEVERE STORM, TORNADO, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-06-22 |
| 4043 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-11-08 |
| 4022 | TROPICAL STORM IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-09-01 |
| 3338 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-29 |
| 4001 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-07-08 |
| 1995 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-06-15 |
| 1951 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-12-22 |
| 1816 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2009-01-14 |
| 1790 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-09-12 |
| 1784 | SEVERE STORMS, A TORNADO, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-08-15 |
| 1778 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-07-15 |
| 1715 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-08-03 |
| 1698 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-05-04 |
| 1559 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-09-23 |
| 1488 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-09-12 |
| 1428 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-07-12 |
| 3167 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-04-10 |
| 1358 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-01-18 |
| 1336 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-07-27 |
| 1307 | TROPICAL STORM FLOYD | DR | Severe Storm | 1999-11-10 |
| 1228 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-06-30 |
| 1201 | SEVERE ICE STORMS, RAIN, HIGH WINDS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-01-15 |
| 1184 | EXCESSIVE RAINFALL, HIGH WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1997-07-25 |
| 1124 | EXTREME RAINFALL AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-06-27 |
| 1101 | ICE JAMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-02-13 |
Showing 50 of 62 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for Vermont counties based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
36.4/100
High Risk Counties
0
of 14 counties
Top Hazard by EAL
Riverine Flooding
$0.2B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Riverine Flooding
$162.5M EAL
#2
Cold Wave
$17.5M EAL
#3
Hurricane
$7.7M EAL
#4
Earthquake
$6.1M EAL
#5
Lightning
$6.0M EAL
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
National Flood Insurance Program claims across Vermont from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
3,688
Total Paid
$117.6M
Avg Per Claim
$31.9K
Counties With Claims
14
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties in Vermont
14 counties with FEMA disaster data.
| # | County | Disasters | Major |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamoille County | 38 | 32 |
| 2 | Orange County | 34 | 29 |
| 3 | Washington County | 33 | 28 |
| 4 | Orleans County | 33 | 27 |
| 5 | Chittenden County | 32 | 26 |
| 6 | Caledonia County | 31 | 26 |
| 7 | Franklin County | 30 | 25 |
| 8 | Addison County | 30 | 23 |
| 9 | Essex County | 30 | 25 |
| 10 | Windsor County | 27 | 21 |
| 11 | Windham County | 24 | 18 |
| 12 | Rutland County | 22 | 16 |
| 13 | Bennington County | 21 | 15 |
| 14 | Grand Isle County | 18 | 12 |
Highest-risk counties by FEMA National Risk Index
Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in Vermont are Chittenden (63.9), Windsor (61.6), Windham (56.9), Bennington (52.3), Washington (52.2). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 14 counties in Vermont are listed above.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.
Hazard Risk by Region
How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.
Climate Change & Disasters
How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect Vermont?
Vermont is affected by severe storm, flood, hurricane, biological. Topping the list is Severe Storm, based on 62 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Vermont had?
Vermont has received 62 FEMA disaster declarations, including 55 major disaster declarations. That total is spread across disaster types including Severe Storm (29), Flood (22), Hurricane (3).
What severe weather events are most common in Vermont?
The most common severe weather events in Vermont include winter weather (882 events), thunderstorm wind (694 events), winter storm (646 events). Over that 2015-2025 NOAA record, these events resulted in 22 fatalities and $235.8M in property and crop damage.
How active is Vermont's federal disaster declaration record?
Vermont has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 62 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 22 fatalities and 7 injuries. NOAA-listed property and crop damage totals $235.8M.
How many flood insurance claims has Vermont had?
Vermont has 3,688 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $117.6M total paid out. Claims average $31.9K, with 14 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties in Vermont have the most disaster declarations?
Among 14 counties in Vermont, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Lamoille (38 declarations), Orange (34 declarations), Washington (33 declarations). County-by-county figures show where the state's federal declaration history concentrates.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for Vermont
Lamoille alone accounts for 61% of Vermont's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 14 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Lamoille and Orange carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how Vermont ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
- Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.