Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region scores at the 90.3th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Moderate" — a middling flood hazard by national standards. The hazard here is driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.3 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 42.1% of them do — 1,989 active policies against 4,727 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 4.1% of all residential structures in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region ranks 324 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 392 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut covers 424.121 square miles and counts roughly 177,540 residents.
Your street may differ from Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region's average
Across all of Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region's 60,008 residential structures, 2,463 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
Where Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.