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Infrastructure & hazardsNew England
Storms keep washing out New England’s roads, and 1 in 5 high‑hazard dams is rated poor or worse
- Live · as of Sep 11, 2026
- 28,665 records
- Six New England states · 2005–2026
- 5 sources · method
Permanent repairs through FEMA aid since 2011
$1.3B
53% roads & bridges · 12,342 projects
High-hazard dams rated poor or unsatisfactory
206
20% of 1,030 · NID as of Sep 11, 2026
Federal disaster declarations since 2005
197
135 major disasters, 59 emergencies
Mapped landslide records
3,513
87% in Vermont — where geologists surveyed
Data as of Sep 11, 2026.
01 · Repair dollars
What disasters cost the ground
After a federally declared disaster, FEMA’s Public Assistance program pays towns and state agencies to clear debris and rebuild what broke. Across 96 declarations since 2011, the single largest line is the one closest to the ground: washed-out roads, culverts and bridges.
Jul 2023 flooding (VT) and Tropical Storm Irene (VT) top the repair bill
- Roads & bridges (C)
- Other permanent work (D–G)
- Debris & emergency work (A–B)
- Jul 2023 flooding (VT)DR-4720-VT · 1,387 projects$295.4M
- Tropical Storm Irene (VT)DR-4022-VT · 3,183 projects$248.4M
- Oct 2011 storm (CT)DR-4046-CT · 651 projects$127.8M
- Jan 2015 winter storm (MA)DR-4214-MA · 1,205 projects$120.4M
- Jun 2011 tornado (MA)DR-1994-MA · 243 projects$99.8M
- Oct 2011 winter storm (MA)DR-4051-MA · 641 projects$95.5M
- Feb 2013 winter storm (MA)DR-4110-MA · 858 projects$90.8M
- Hurricane Sandy (CT)DR-4087-CT · 690 projects$89.1M
- Jul 2024 flooding (VT)DR-4810-VT · 540 projects$82.9M
- Jan 2024 flooding (ME)DR-4764-ME · 354 projects$64.8M
- Tropical Storm Irene (CT)DR-4023-CT · 1,427 projects$62.8M
- Dec 2023 flooding (ME)DR-4754-ME · 519 projects$49.4M
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Declaration | Declared | Projects | Roads & bridges | Other permanent | Emergency | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4720-VT · Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Jul 14, 2023 | 1,387 | $127,810,391 | $114,379,570 | $53,206,185 | $295,396,147 |
| DR-4022-VT · Tropical Storm Irene | Sep 1, 2011 | 3,183 | $135,212,178 | $75,024,365 | $38,153,594 | $248,390,136 |
| DR-4046-CT · Severe Storm | Nov 17, 2011 | 651 | $46,274 | $1,374,759 | $126,373,370 | $127,794,403 |
| DR-4214-MA · Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | Apr 13, 2015 | 1,205 | $1,099,966 | $17,044,233 | $102,258,634 | $120,402,833 |
| DR-1994-MA · Severe Storms and Tornadoes | Jun 15, 2011 | 243 | $396,166 | $63,031,753 | $36,387,877 | $99,815,797 |
| DR-4051-MA · Severe Storm and Snowstorm | Jan 6, 2012 | 641 | $6,076 | $5,662,415 | $89,842,997 | $95,511,487 |
| DR-4110-MA · Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | Apr 19, 2013 | 858 | $1,007,891 | $23,093,949 | $66,649,340 | $90,751,180 |
| DR-4087-CT · Hurricane Sandy | Oct 30, 2012 | 690 | $2,738,333 | $33,241,905 | $53,090,005 | $89,070,243 |
| DR-4810-VT · Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Aug 20, 2024 | 540 | $65,235,976 | $14,629,085 | $2,999,980 | $82,865,041 |
| DR-4764-ME · Severe Storms and Flooding | Mar 20, 2024 | 354 | $32,806,799 | $24,515,922 | $7,483,170 | $64,805,890 |
| DR-4023-CT · Tropical Storm Irene | Sep 2, 2011 | 1,427 | $6,793,346 | $22,892,830 | $33,071,543 | $62,757,719 |
| DR-4754-ME · Severe Storm and Flooding | Jan 30, 2024 | 519 | $34,339,634 | $10,285,682 | $4,746,779 | $49,372,096 |
2011 and 2023 were the costliest years
- Roads & bridges (C)
- Other permanent work (D–G)
- Debris & emergency work (A–B)
Not inflation-adjusted. Recent disasters keep growing as projects are written; DR-4919-MA has no project records yet.
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Year | Roads & bridges | Other permanent | Emergency | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $205,746,604 | $196,223,284 | $324,142,229 | 10,241 |
| 2012 | $9,015,385 | $58,500,800 | $156,825,473 | 2,162 |
| 2013 | $19,397,763 | $27,472,812 | $136,539,259 | 2,359 |
| 2014 | $1,620,921 | $6,233,523 | $2,851,270 | 86 |
| 2015 | $3,613,902 | $21,309,204 | $136,649,372 | 1,881 |
| 2016 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0 |
| 2017 | $19,834,134 | $9,851,855 | $906,347 | 228 |
| 2018 | $22,059,180 | $89,081,854 | $91,628,509 | 1,651 |
| 2019 | $15,282,612 | $196,732 | $381,811 | 149 |
| 2020 | $21,155,872 | $3,969,226 | $883,866 | 203 |
| 2021 | $25,470,600 | $13,691,922 | $41,165,959 | 594 |
| 2022 | $1,474,473 | $5,207,971 | $43,463,128 | 195 |
| 2023 | $178,560,722 | $126,543,441 | $58,958,165 | 2,086 |
| 2024 | $181,867,678 | $75,669,658 | $29,956,892 | 2,090 |
Roads and bridges take 53% of permanent-repair money
- C · Roads & bridges$705.1M
- B · Emergency protective measures$628.3M
- A · Debris removal$396.1M
- G · Parks, recreation & other$331.4M
- E · Public buildings & equipment$151.1M
- F · Public utilities$96.6M
- D · Water control facilities$54.8M
Highlighted: the ground-facing categories — C, roads and bridges (incl. culverts and embankments), and D, water-control facilities such as dams, levees and seawalls.
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Category | Projects | Dollars | Federal share |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Debris removal | 2,848 | $396,083,831 | $292,657,277 |
| B · Emergency protective measures | 8,735 | $628,268,448 | $482,465,357 |
| C · Roads & bridges | 8,411 | $705,099,846 | $552,095,857 |
| D · Water control facilities | 139 | $54,804,861 | $40,792,216 |
| E · Public buildings & equipment | 1,369 | $151,101,110 | $119,233,855 |
| F · Public utilities | 661 | $96,612,991 | $73,917,262 |
| G · Parks, recreation & other | 1,762 | $331,433,320 | $234,557,822 |
5 of the 10 counties with the most repair money are in Vermont
Look up a county
67 of 67 rows
| Washington, VT | $238M |
| Windsor, VT | $101.1M |
| Hampden, MA | $68.2M |
| Lamoille, VT | $52.1M |
| Grafton, NH | $48.2M |
| Windham, VT | $47M |
| Caledonia, VT | $45.2M |
| Fairfield, CT | $42M |
| Merrimack, NH | $39.5M |
| York, ME | $34.9M |
The biggest single ground repairs
- $23.7M
NH DOT Seawall Repairs
DR-4370-NH · Merrimack · Water control facilities
- $14.8M
AOT Rail Bridge 501
DR-4022-VT · Washington · Roads & bridges
- $7.6M
The Department of Administrative and Financial Services - Andrew Drive Causeway Washout
DR-4764-ME · Kennebec · Roads & bridges
- $7.4M
Loon Bridge
DR-4026-NH · Grafton · Roads & bridges
- $6M
Peaks Island Seashore - WTBC
DR-4764-ME · Cumberland · Roads & bridges
- $5.3M
Black Brook Road, Site 1 - 7
DR-4028-MA · Berkshire · Roads & bridges
- $5.3M
HDE Hydroelectric Penstock
DR-4810-VT · Caledonia · Water control facilities
- $5.2M
Crane Brook Road
DR-4740-NH · Sullivan · Roads & bridges
- $4.9M
Red Village Road Bridges (2) - V1
DR-4826-VT · Caledonia · Roads & bridges
- $4.4M
Lebanon (City of) Slayton Hill Restoration
DR-4139-NH · Grafton · Roads & bridges
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Project | Declaration | County | Category | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NH DOT Seawall Repairs | DR-4370-NH | Merrimack County | Water control facilities | $23,744,728 |
| AOT Rail Bridge 501 | DR-4022-VT | Washington County | Roads & bridges | $14,819,168 |
| The Department of Administrative and Financial Services - Andrew Drive Causeway Washout | DR-4764-ME | Kennebec County | Roads & bridges | $7,624,651 |
| Loon Bridge | DR-4026-NH | Grafton County | Roads & bridges | $7,394,216 |
| Peaks Island Seashore - WTBC | DR-4764-ME | Cumberland County | Roads & bridges | $6,009,459 |
| Black Brook Road, Site 1 - 7 | DR-4028-MA | Berkshire County | Roads & bridges | $5,318,211 |
| HDE Hydroelectric Penstock | DR-4810-VT | Caledonia County | Water control facilities | $5,291,081 |
| Crane Brook Road | DR-4740-NH | Sullivan County | Roads & bridges | $5,181,939 |
| Red Village Road Bridges (2) - V1 | DR-4826-VT | Caledonia County | Roads & bridges | $4,925,000 |
| Lebanon (City of) Slayton Hill Restoration | DR-4139-NH | Grafton County | Roads & bridges | $4,404,350 |
| Gorham's Pond Dam | DR-4629-CT | Fairfield County | Water control facilities | $3,461,024 |
| Main Street retaining wall | DR-4720-VT | Caledonia County | Roads & bridges | $2,957,000 |
02 · Declarations
The years the storms came
Each bar counts state declarations — a storm that hits three states is three. Most are rain and flood events; the latest on file is DR-4919-MA (severe winter storm and snowstorm, Jun 30, 2026).
2011 brought the most federal declarations (24); 2005 and 2024 had 20 each
- Severe storm & flood
- Hurricane & tropical
- Winter, snow & ice
- Other
“Other” is mostly 2020’s COVID-19 emergencies and 2005’s declarations for sheltering Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Year | Severe storm & flood | Hurricane & tropical | Winter, snow & ice | Other | Major disaster | Emergency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 2007 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2008 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2010 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| 2011 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 8 |
| 2012 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 11 |
| 2021 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Vermont (33) and New Hampshire (32) have the most major-disaster declarations
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| State | Major disaster | Emergency |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 15 | 12 |
| Maine | 26 | 10 |
| Massachusetts | 18 | 15 |
| New Hampshire | 32 | 9 |
| Rhode Island | 11 | 8 |
| Vermont | 33 | 5 |
Find a disaster declaration
135 of 135 rows
| DR-4919-MA | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | — |
| DR-4826-VT | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | $14.2M |
| DR-4820-CT | Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | $28.9M |
| DR-4816-VT | Severe Storms and Flooding | $2.1M |
| DR-4810-VT | Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | $82.9M |
| DR-4812-NH | Severe Storm and Flooding | $8.3M |
| DR-4799-NH | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | $1.4M |
| DR-4785-ME | Severe Winter Storm | $6.3M |
| DR-4780-MA | Severe Storms and Flooding | — |
| DR-4770-VT | Severe Winter Storm | $5.8M |
03 · Dams
The typical high-hazard dam here was finished in 1914
New England has 1,030 dams whose failure would probably cost lives. The typical one was finished in 1914; 343 of the 926 with a known date predate 1900. Most are earth embankments (641).
20% of New England’s high-hazard dams carry a poor or unsatisfactory rating
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Condition | High-hazard dams | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfactory | 453 | 44% |
| Fair | 295 | 29% |
| Poor | 179 | 17% |
| Unsatisfactory | 27 | 3% |
| Not rated | 76 | 7% |
New Hampshire (37%) and Rhode Island (36%) report the most poor ratings
- Satisfactory
- Fair
- Poor
- Unsatisfactory
- Not rated
- New Hampshire163 dams37%
- Rhode Island95 dams36%
- Vermont69 dams29%
- Maine79 dams28%
- Massachusetts342 dams15%
- Connecticut282 dams6%
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| State | Satisfactory | Fair | Poor | Unsatisfactory | Not rated | Poor/unsat. share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 184 | 60 | 16 | 1 | 21 | 6% |
| Maine | 43 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 28% |
| Massachusetts | 148 | 117 | 42 | 11 | 24 | 15% |
| New Hampshire | 59 | 29 | 60 | 0 | 15 | 37% |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 52 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 36% |
| Vermont | 14 | 24 | 19 | 1 | 11 | 29% |
Private dams are most often rated poor
- Private71/22332%
- State44/19922%
- Local government73/42217%
- Public utility6/847%
- Federal0/600%
By dam type
- Rockfill27/8731%
- Concrete39/13429%
- Gravity12/5024%
- Masonry9/4520%
- Earth101/64116%
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Owner or dam type | Dams | Poor/unsat. | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local government | 422 | 73 | 17% |
| Private | 223 | 71 | 32% |
| State | 199 | 44 | 22% |
| Public utility | 84 | 6 | 7% |
| Federal | 60 | 0 | 0% |
| Not listed | 42 | 12 | 29% |
| Earth (type) | 641 | 101 | 16% |
| Concrete (type) | 134 | 39 | 29% |
| Rockfill (type) | 87 | 27 | 31% |
| Gravity (type) | 50 | 12 | 24% |
| Masonry (type) | 45 | 9 | 20% |
| Not listed (type) | 41 | 15 | 37% |
| Stone (type) | 19 | 3 | 16% |
| Other (type) | 9 | 0 | 0% |
Dams rated poor are older — median completion 1896 vs 1920
- Poor or unsatisfactory
- Other ratings
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| Decade | Poor/unsat. | Other |
|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 3 | 3 |
| 1810s | 0 | 2 |
| 1820s | 4 | 3 |
| 1830s | 7 | 9 |
| 1840s | 8 | 11 |
| 1850s | 7 | 20 |
| 1860s | 11 | 34 |
| 1870s | 22 | 53 |
| 1880s | 20 | 60 |
| 1890s | 5 | 51 |
| 1900s | 14 | 68 |
| 1910s | 13 | 52 |
| 1920s | 14 | 55 |
| 1930s | 16 | 45 |
| 1940s | 2 | 38 |
| 1950s | 9 | 47 |
| 1960s | 12 | 112 |
| 1970s | 5 | 54 |
| 1980s | 1 | 15 |
| 1990s | 0 | 8 |
| 2000s | 0 | 2 |
| 2010s | 0 | 1 |
Look up a dam
1,030 of 1,030 rows
| Acme Pond Dam | CT | Satisfactory |
| Adder Reservoir | CT | Fair |
| American Can Company Dam | CT | Satisfactory |
| American Felt Dam | CT | Satisfactory |
| Ashland Pond Dam | CT | Satisfactory |
| Avery Flood Control Site #1 Dam | CT | Satisfactory |
| Avery Flood Control Site #2 Dam | CT | Satisfactory |
| Barber Pond Dam | CT | Poor |
| Batterson Park Pond Dam | CT | Satisfactory |
| Batterson Park Pond Dike | CT | Satisfactory |
04 · Moving ground
The landslide map is a map of who went looking
The USGS inventory holds 3,513 mapped landslides in New England, and 87% of them are in Vermont. That is not because Vermont slides and Connecticut doesn’t: the Vermont and Maine geological surveys mapped landslides systematically and supplied 3,454 of the points; the other four states add only a few dozen.
Vermont’s surveys account for 87% of mapped landslides
▸ Show the numbers▾ Hide the numbers
| State | Mapped records |
|---|---|
| Vermont | 3,061 |
| Maine | 408 |
| New Hampshire | 21 |
| Massachusetts | 19 |
| Connecticut | 4 |
| Rhode Island | 0 |
Four states have almost nothing on record
- Vermont3,061
- Maine408
- New Hampshire21
- Massachusetts19
- Connecticut4
- Rhode Island0
Two state surveys supplied nearly every point
- Vermont Geological Survey3,049
- Maine Geological Survey405
- NASA Global Landslide Catalog46
- USGS national compilation13
88% of records are low-confidence
- Low (2)3,092
- Moderate (3)53
- High (5)3
- Definite (8)365
Where these numbers come from
Method, sources & caveats
FEMA figures come straight from OpenFEMA’s public API, pulled in full (every page, no row cap) for the six New England states each time this page’s data is refreshed: 23,925 Public Assistance projects for disasters declared 2011–2024, and 197 declarations since 2005. Dollars are project amounts — federal plus state and local share — as last obligated; the federal share was $1.8B of the $2.4B total.
Dams are every “High” hazard-potential dam in the National Inventory of Dams (USACE), read from the full national extract. Landslides are the USGS inventory’s points for the six states as captured on Jun 24, 2026, binned into hexagons in the pipeline so no single record is plotted.
- FEMA dollars are Public Assistance project amounts (eligible project cost, federal + non-federal share) for disasters declared 2011–2024, from OpenFEMA's funded-projects file. Withdrawn and ineligible projects are dropped; state management costs (category Z) are excluded from the damage totals.
- COVID-19 declarations (incident type "Biological", $7.2B in New England) are excluded: they paid for emergency measures, not ground or infrastructure damage.
- Project amounts are not inflation-adjusted and reflect the latest obligation, so recent disasters can still grow as projects are written. Disasters declared in the last months may have no project records yet (currently DR-4919-MA).
- Declarations count each state's declaration once (a storm hitting three states is three declarations). County designations count distinct major-disaster (DR) declarations naming the county.
- Dams: every dam classified High hazard potential in the National Inventory of Dams for CT, ME, MA, NH, RI and VT (1,030 dams). "High hazard" describes the consequence if a dam failed (probable loss of life), not the likelihood it will. Condition is the state or federal regulator's latest assessment as reported to NID; 76 high-hazard dams have no rating.
- Per NID terms we publish no Emergency Action Plan or inundation information, round dam coordinates to 0.01° (about 1 km), omit owner names, and do not rank dams by danger.
- Landslides: 3,513 points from the USGS U.S. Landslide Inventory compilation (pulled 2026-06-24). It maps where geologists have looked — the Vermont and Maine geological surveys mapped landslides systematically — not where slopes are most likely to fail. 2,660 records carry a placeholder date of 1970 and 3,092 are low-confidence.
- Counties with no FEMA project records are blank on the map; statewide projects are counted in state totals but not assigned to a county. FEMA records the applicant's county, so a state agency's repairs can be filed under the capital's county rather than the damaged site.
- Data as of
- Sep 11, 2026
- Generated
- Sep 11, 2026
- Records
- 28,665
- Refresh
- Live pull · weekly
- OpenFEMA — Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2)Public domainThis product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
- OpenFEMA — Public Assistance Funded Projects Details (v2)Public domainOpenFEMA data, not endorsed by FEMA.
- USACE National Inventory of DamsPublic domainNID data last updated 2026-09-11. Condition assessments as reported by state and federal dam-safety programs.
- USGS U.S. Landslide InventoryPublic domainCompiles state inventories (Vermont and Maine Geological Surveys) and NASA's Global Landslide Catalog.
- U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (via us-atlas)Public domain
Published by Earth Support Corp as a public resource. Regional statistics for planning and curiosity. They are not an engineering report, a bid recommendation or a statement about any particular site, firm or project. Spot an error? Tell us and we will correct it. Full method: methodology.
