Question 1

Which county in Vermont has the highest natural disaster risk?

Accepted Answer

Chittenden County has the highest natural disaster risk score in Vermont at 63.9 (Relatively Low), based on FEMA National Risk Index data.

Question 2

Which county in Vermont is the safest from natural disasters?

Accepted Answer

Grand Isle County has the lowest natural disaster risk score in Vermont at 1.9 (Very Low), based on FEMA NRI data.

Question 3

What natural disasters are most common in Vermont?

Accepted Answer

Vermont counties face varying levels of risk from floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The FEMA National Risk Index scores each county across 18 hazard types. See individual county pages for detailed hazard breakdowns.

Question 4

How is natural disaster risk measured by county?

Accepted Answer

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) measures natural disaster risk using expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. Scores are normalized nationally, with ratings from Very Low to Very High across 18 natural hazard types.

County	Risk Score	Rating	Flood	Wildfire	Tornado	Earthquake
Chittenden County	63.9	Relatively Low	76.4	25.4	29.5	76.7
Windsor County	61.6	Relatively Low	76.7	26.9	30.1	53.9
Windham County	56.9	Relatively Low	71.3	20.9	40.0	49.7
Bennington County	52.3	Relatively Low	64.5	20.1	20.9	45.5
Washington County	52.2	Relatively Low	70.9	19.1	13.9	52.4
Rutland County	50.5	Relatively Low	67.3	23.0	25.8	58.2
Orleans County	36.8	Very Low	60.7	18.9	11.1	46.7
Caledonia County	30.2	Very Low	52.8	17.8	10.3	44.9
Franklin County	29.2	Very Low	52.1	12.6	14.8	60.1
Addison County	26.8	Very Low	47.7	21.4	20.3	55.8
Orange County	26.4	Very Low	50.0	17.2	13.3	37.8
Lamoille County	18.3	Very Low	42.8	14.0	10.0	40.5
Essex County	3.2	Very Low	15.4	3.8	4.9	22.5
Grand Isle County	1.9	Very Low	12.8	4.6	4.8	30.6

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