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Natural hazards · Amesbury

Amesbury, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Amesbury comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 43 claims here since 1978. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Amesbury?

51
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Amesbury to be higher than in 51% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding71%Earthquakes8%Hurricanes6%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Amesbury faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

71% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

8% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Amesbury flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Amesbury, from FEMA’s records.

43paid claims since 1978
$1.2Mpaid to owners
7homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • April 2007 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $162K
  • Not a named storm: 3 claims, $14K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 3 claims, $16K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Amesbury isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Essex County.
Disasters that hit Amesbury

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Amesbury itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Amesbury.

Brought FEMA money into AmesburyDeclared for Essex County only
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$78K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$59K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$5K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$47K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

55 households applied for aid $47K aid approved $148K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$164K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$8K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

88 households applied for aid $94K aid approved $463K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$44K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2004

Flooding

15 households applied for aid $10K aid approved
2003

Snow

$53K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
2001

Snow

$16K to the City of Amesbury for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Amesbury

Amesbury and the towns around it

Newburyport: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Newbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth Hampton: Low, mostly inland floodingMerrimac: Low, mostly inland floodingSalisbury: Very high, mostly coastal floodingNewbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHaverhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGroveland: Low, mostly inland floodingNewton: Very low, mostly inland floodingEast Kingston: Low, mostly inland floodingSeabrook: High, mostly inland floodingKensington: Low, mostly inland floodingAmesbury: Moderate, mostly inland flooding AmesburyNewburyportWest NewburySouth HamptonMerrimacSalisbury
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Salisburymostly coastal floodingVery high
Amesburymostly inland floodingModerate
West Newburymostly inland floodingModerate
Newburyportmostly inland floodingLow
South Hamptonmostly inland floodingLow
Merrimacmostly inland floodingLow
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Amesbury covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Amesbury’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Amesbury. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Amesbury total about $4.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

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