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Natural hazards · Bellingham

Bellingham, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bellingham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1991. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Bellingham?

16
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bellingham to be higher than in 16% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding69%Hurricanes12%Earthquakes6%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Bellingham faces

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

Inland flooding

69% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Bellingham flood?

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

15paid claims since 1991
$81Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19912026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $22K
  • December Nor'easter: 2 claims, $10K
  • Hurricane Irene: 1 claim, $4K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Bellingham isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Norfolk County.
Disasters that hit Bellingham

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BellinghamDeclared for Norfolk County only
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$79K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$257K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$95K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$51K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$60K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

141 households applied for aid $212K aid approved $11K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $471 aid approved
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$84K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2004

Flooding

2 households applied for aid $1K aid approved
2003

Snow

$131K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
2001

Snow

$50K to the Town of Bellingham for repairs
Norfolk County has had 31 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around Bellingham

Bellingham and the towns around it

Mendon: Low, mostly inland floodingHopedale: Low, mostly inland floodingBlackstone: Moderate, mostly inland floodingFranklin Town: Very low, mostly inland floodingMedway: Low, mostly inland floodingMilford: Low, mostly inland floodingWoonsocket: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWrentham: Very low, mostly inland floodingUpton: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMillville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorfolk: Very low, mostly inland floodingHolliston: Low, mostly inland floodingMillis: Low, mostly inland floodingHopkinton: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Smithfield: Low, mostly inland floodingCumberland: Low, mostly inland floodingPlainville: Very low, mostly inland floodingFoxborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingBellingham: Very low, mostly inland flooding BellinghamMendonHopedaleBlackstoneFranklin TownMedwayMilfordWoonsocketWrentham
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Blackstonemostly inland floodingModerate
Woonsocketmostly inland floodingModerate
Hopedalemostly inland floodingLow
Medwaymostly inland floodingLow
Milfordmostly inland floodingLow
Mendonmostly inland floodingLow
Bellinghammostly inland floodingVery low
Wrenthammostly inland floodingVery low
Franklin Townmostly inland floodingVery low
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. Bellingham covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bellingham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Bellingham. 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 Bellingham total about $3.2M 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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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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