Fairfield County Water Damage Guide
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Flood Risk by Town in Fairfield County, CT

By Hamad G., last reviewed

Of the eight Fairfield County, CT towns this guide covers, Norwalk, Westport, Greenwich and Stamford report 227, 213, 117 and 102 repetitive flood-loss properties in their regional hazard plans. Inland New Canaan and Wilton have no coastline but still flood from rivers and intense rain. The table compares all eight towns, with a source for every cell.

It is built from the fact sheet behind each town page on this site. Where a town’s sources give no figure, the cell says “not found in town sources”. That means the number was not found, not that it is zero. The methodology explains what each column means and where its limits are.

How do the eight towns compare?

Flood exposure, repetitive-loss properties, notable floods, FEMA map caveats and flood insurance discounts in eight Fairfield County, CT towns.
TownExposureRepetitive-loss propertiesNotable recorded eventsFEMA map caveatCommunity Rating System
GreenwichCoast and rivers: the Sound shoreline, Horseneck Brook and the Byram River (hazard plan)117, mostly along the Sound; no coastal count given (hazard plan)Sept 28, 2011: 1 to 2 feet of inundation in Old Greenwich (NWS). Superstorm Sandy, Oct 29, 2012: mandatory evacuation for an estimated 16,000 residents (CT Mirror); about 81% of customers lost power (CT Mirror)The map for Strickland Brook in Cos Cob uses a 1982 study assuming 440 cfs; the town’s study found about 950 cfs (Greenwich Free Press)Not found in town sources
StamfordCoast and rivers: the Sound shoreline, the Rippowam (Mill) River, the Mianus River and Springdale Brook (hazard plan)102; 68 in the coastal zone (hazard plan)Dec 12, 1992 nor’easter: Shippan Point waterfront mansions stood in three feet of water (NWS). Superstorm Sandy, Oct 29, 2012: about 800 people in flood zones asked to leave; the barrier was never breached (CT Mirror, CT Mirror). Ida remnants, Sept 1 to 2, 2021: almost nine inches of rain; the Rippowam broke its banks and flooded Washington Boulevard (Patch)Much of Harbor Point and the South End is mapped as reduced risk behind the 1969 levee; UConn describes residual risk north of the barrier (UConn)Participates, per the 2021 plan (hazard plan)
DarienCoast and river: the Sound shoreline (Wikipedia) and the Noroton River (Wikipedia)Not found in town sourcesAug 19, 1955: Noroton River flooding forced seven Darien families out of their homes (Wikipedia). Ida remnants, Sept 1 to 2, 2021: 8.0 inches at the Noroton Heights firehouse (7.7 at the beach) in about 7 hours; Tokeneke Road washed out near I-95; local emergency declared (Darienite)Not found in town sourcesNot found in town sources
NorwalkCoast and rivers: the Sound shoreline, the Norwalk, Silvermine and Fivemile Rivers and Stony Brook (hazard plan)227; 207 in coastal zones (hazard plan)Superstorm Sandy, Oct 29, 2012: about 3,300 residences urged to leave (CT Mirror); about 3.5 feet of water in a Washington Village apartment (CT Mirror). Ida remnants, Sept 1 to 2, 2021: more than 7 inches of rain and Connecticut’s first flash flood emergency (WSHU). Sept 13, 2026: 6 to 7 inches on the coast from Norwalk to Westport (Connecticut Public)Not found in town sourcesLeft the program and applied to re-enter in spring 2020; current status not found (hazard plan)
WestportCoast and rivers: the Sound shoreline and the Saugatuck and Aspetuck Rivers; 26% of residents live in the 100-year floodplain (hazard plan)213; 178 on the coast and 17 along the Saugatuck River (hazard plan)Dec 12, 1992 nor’easter: the noon high tide cut off Saugatuck Shores and Compo Beach and flooded an estimated 300 cars at the train station (NWS). Superstorm Sandy, Oct 29, 2012: 243 homes substantially damaged; up to 6 feet of water inside houses on Saugatuck Island (06880). Sept 13, 2026: 6 to 7 inches of rain; 13 rescues of people trapped in vehicles (Connecticut Public)FEMA issued preliminary revised maps for the Saugatuck River watershed in 2024, touching 12 Westport map panels (town floodplain page)Participates, per the 2021 plan (hazard plan)
FairfieldCoast and rivers: the Sound shoreline, Ash Creek and the Mill River (NWS); about 488 properties in Zone VE and 3,384 in Zones AE or A, 2013 data (town GIS presentation)Not found in town sourcesSuperstorm Sandy, Oct 29, 2012: a few feet of water north of I-95 along Ash Creek and the Mill River; “the most widespread major damage occurred in Bridgeport and Fairfield” (NWS). Ida remnants, Sept 1 to 2, 2021: the Rooster River reached 11.29 feet, 0.36 feet below its flood of record (Patch). Sept 13, 2026: more than a dozen homes damaged in one neighborhood, with four to five feet of water entering homes (WFSB)Downtown streets are not in a FEMA zone but flood quickly in heavy rain (UConn)Participates: a 10% discount for about 2,256 policyholders (Patch, 2026)
New CanaanInland: no coastline (Wikipedia); the Noroton River’s headwaters (Wikipedia) and the Fivemile River (New Canaanite)Not found in town sourcesIda remnants, Sept 1 to 2, 2021: about 4.2 inches in an hour and a half, called a 100- to 200-year storm by the public works director (New Canaanite). Aug 18, 2024: about five feet of flooding reported in a Marvin Ridge Road home (New Canaanite). July 21, 2026: about 4.5 inches in roughly 35 minutes; four town buildings damaged, including the Waveny House basement (New Canaanite)Not found in town sourcesNot found in town sources
WiltonInland: the Norwalk River, the West Branch of the Saugatuck River and Comstock Brook (Good Morning Wilton)Not found in town sourcesMarch 7, 2011: overnight rain flooded Wilton along the Norwalk River and police closed Route 7 north of Honey Hill Road (Patch). Ida remnants, Sept 2, 2021: Norwalk River floodwater in the Wilton Family YMCA parking lot (Patch). Aug 18, 2024: more than 8 inches in about 7 hours; the Norwalk River closed Route 7 in three places (Good Morning Wilton)Not found in town sourcesNot found in town sources

What does the table show?

Which towns have the most repetitive flood-loss properties?

Norwalk has the most of the four towns with a published count: 227 repetitive-loss properties, 207 of them in coastal zones, according to its 2021 WestCOG hazard mitigation plan annex. Westport’s annex lists 213, with 178 on the coast and 17 along the Saugatuck River. Greenwich lists 117, mostly along the Sound, and Stamford 102, of which 68 are in the coastal zone, 12 along the Rippowam, 2 along Springdale Brook and 1 along the Mianus.

In every town with a breakdown, most repeat losses are on the shoreline. The counts show where repeated losses were recorded, not every house that has taken water. The Greenwich annex says town staff believe many owners lack flood insurance or do not file claims, so recorded damage understates actual flooding.

Do inland towns flood too?

Yes, and their floods come from rain rather than the tide. New Canaan has no coastline, yet the remnants of Ida dropped about 4.2 inches there in an hour and a half on September 1, 2021, and some residents had basement flooding for the first time, the New Canaanite reported. On August 18, 2024, Wilton received more than 8 inches of rain in about 7 hours and the Norwalk River closed Route 7 in three places, according to Good Morning Wilton.

Coastal towns take rain floods as well. In Darien, Ida dropped 8.0 inches at the Noroton Heights firehouse (7.7 at the beach) in about 7 hours and washed out Tokeneke Road near I-95, and in Stamford the Rippowam broke its banks and flooded Washington Boulevard.

The most recent storm in the table came on September 13, 2026. “The coastal stretch from Norwalk to Westport was among the most impacted in the state, receiving 6 to 7 inches of rain Sunday morning,” the AP reported via Connecticut Public. The state announced an SBA disaster declaration for that flooding covering Fairfield County, with a physical-damage deadline of December 1, 2026 (Governor’s office).

The IICRC’s S500 standard treats rising river water as Category 3, grossly contaminated water. See flooded basement cleanup for what the work involves.

Is the FEMA flood map the whole story?

No. In four of the eight towns, the sources flag a limit of the current flood map:

The Connecticut Insurance Department says flood is not covered by a typical homeowners policy, whatever the map shows. FEMA says a new flood policy usually takes 30 days to start. For how claims work, see what homeowners insurance covers in Connecticut.

Which towns get a flood insurance discount?

Fairfield is the only town in the sources with a published discount. FEMA’s Community Rating System gives about 2,256 Fairfield flood policyholders a 10 percent discount, about $418,147 a year, and Fairfield is one of 13 Connecticut communities in the program, Patch reported in 2026. The 2021 hazard plans list Stamford and Westport as participants without giving a discount level. Norwalk’s annex says the city left the program and applied to re-enter in spring 2020. No source found says whether it re-entered. For the other four towns, no participation was found in the town sources.

How was this table compiled?

Each cell comes from the research fact sheet behind the matching town page, and each links to the source it was taken from. The rules:

The hazard plans date from 2021, so counts and program status may have changed. Check with the town’s floodplain office before relying on a figure, and see each town page for its offices. The about page explains how the guide is researched and where to send corrections.

Sources

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse it with a link back to this page. The figures come from the sources listed above.

How to cite: Fairfield County Water Damage Guide, 'Flood Risk by Town in Fairfield County, CT', https://fairfieldcountywaterdamage.com/guides/flood-risk-by-town/, updated October 19, 2026.

Changelog: Updated : first public version

Using this data? Contact [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

Which Fairfield County towns have the most repetitive flood loss properties?

Of the towns whose hazard plans give a count, Norwalk lists 227 repetitive-loss properties, 207 of them in coastal zones, Westport 213, Greenwich 117 and Stamford 102. The WestCOG hazard mitigation plan annexes (2021) are the source. The town sources this guide uses give no count for Darien, Fairfield, New Canaan or Wilton.

Does New Canaan, CT flood even though it has no coastline?

Yes. New Canaan is the only Connecticut panhandle town with no Long Island Sound coastline, but the remnants of Ida dropped about 4.2 inches there in an hour and a half in September 2021. The public works director called it a 100- to 200-year storm, and some residents had basement flooding for the first time.

Is the FEMA flood map accurate for Strickland Brook in Cos Cob?

Not according to the Town of Greenwich. The FEMA map for Strickland Brook relies on a 1982 study that assumed a flow of 440 cubic feet per second, and the town's own study found about 950. That is more than twice the flow the map assumes, so the mapped flood zone may understate the brook.

Does the Town of Fairfield, CT get a flood insurance discount?

Yes. Fairfield takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System, which gives about 2,256 local flood policyholders a 10 percent discount, worth about $418,147 a year, according to a 2026 Patch report. Fairfield is one of 13 Connecticut communities in the program. Stamford and Westport are also listed as participants in their 2021 hazard plans.

Do I need flood insurance if my house is not in a FEMA flood zone?

It is worth asking your agent. The Connecticut Insurance Department says a typical homeowners policy does not cover flood, and downtown Fairfield's streets flood quickly in heavy rain without being in a FEMA zone, according to UConn's resilience team. FEMA says a new flood policy usually has a 30-day waiting period.