Providence County flood history
Rhode Island · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 1,626 flood insurance claims in Providence County, Rhode Island since 1978. The NFIP paid $49.0 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 2010, with 476, mostly from March 2010 Nor'easter.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 160 claims, and the average paid claim was $84,241.
38% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.5% of homes in Providence County, Rhode Island had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (834 of 153,665 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 58% (377 of 649).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 5 flood-related disaster declarations covering Providence County, Rhode Island. The most recent was DR-4766-RI (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared March 20, 2024.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | $205,898 |
| 2025 | 2 | $502,465 |
| 2024 | 58 | $3.9 million |
| 2023 | 62 | $4.2 million |
| 2022 | 5 | $439,365 |
| 2021 | 8 | $583,329 |
| 2020 | 2 | $4,120 |
| 2019 | 2 | $0 |
| 2018 | 15 | $121,598 |
| 2017 | 2 | $29,797 |
| 2016 | 1 | $4,661 |
| 2015 | 7 | $3,384 |
| 2014 | 5 | $18,400 |
| 2013 | 17 | $238,762 |
| 2012 | 4 | $58,834 |
| 2011 | 6 | $47,346 |
| 2010 | 476 | $19.2 million |
| 2009 | 7 | $5,109 |
| 2008 | 23 | $582,289 |
| 2007 | 18 | $626,543 |
| 2006 | 39 | $1.4 million |
| 2005 | 232 | $9.4 million |
| 2004 | 4 | $11,666 |
| 2003 | 1 | $0 |
| 2002 | 3 | $4,570 |
| 2001 | 33 | $371,390 |
| 2000 | 2 | $0 |
| 1999 | 17 | $408,795 |
| 1998 | 59 | $1.2 million |
| 1997 | 1 | $3,063 |
| 1996 | 5 | $2,572 |
| 1995 | 1 | $0 |
| 1994 | 6 | $151,805 |
| 1993 | 7 | $36,206 |
| 1992 | 3 | $1,520 |
| 1991 | 15 | $93,963 |
| 1990 | 6 | $3,476 |
| 1989 | 2 | $0 |
| 1988 | 1 | $0 |
| 1987 | 8 | $66,248 |
| 1986 | 18 | $224,190 |
| 1985 | 12 | $40,690 |
| 1984 | 38 | $456,238 |
| 1983 | 60 | $609,021 |
| 1982 | 106 | $1.3 million |
| 1981 | 8 | $44,051 |
| 1980 | 14 | $86,880 |
| 1979 | 123 | $1.9 million |
| 1978 | 78 | $364,298 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2010 Nor'easter | 2010 | 459 | $18.8 million |
| Not a named storm | 1979 | 106 | $1.8 million |
| December Nor'easter | 2023 | 26 | $1.4 million |
| Not a named storm | 1982 | 78 | $1.2 million |
| Hurricane Ida | 2021 | 3 | $511,866 |
| Flooding | 2001 | 25 | $328,504 |
| Hurricane Bob | 1991 | 13 | $93,963 |
| Hurricane Elsa | 2021 | 2 | $62,462 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 834 residential NFIP policies in Providence County, against 153,665 residential buildings (0.5%). Of the 649 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 377 have an NFIP policy (58%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4766-RI | Mar 20, 2024 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-4765-RI | Mar 20, 2024 | Severe Storm and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-4753-RI | Jan 7, 2024 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| EM-3311-RI | Mar 30, 2010 | Severe Storms and Flooding | No |
| DR-1894-RI | Mar 29, 2010 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of Rhode Island.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.