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Natural hazards · Billerica

Billerica, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Billerica comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 279 claims here since 1978. 13 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Billerica?

18
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Billerica to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Hurricanes10%Earthquakes9%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Billerica faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Billerica flood?

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

279paid claims since 1978
$2.8Mpaid to owners
48homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 70 claims, $1.4M
  • Not a named storm: 41 claims, $153K
  • April 2007 Nor'easter: 2 claims, $6K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

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

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BillericaDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$172K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$165K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$217K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$163K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$21K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$140K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

700 households applied for aid $2.0M aid approved $203K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$60K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

69 households applied for aid $104K aid approved $6K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$153K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2004

Flooding

12 households applied for aid $20K aid approved
2003

Snow

$277K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
2001

Snow

$168K to the Town of Billerica for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Billerica

Billerica and the towns around it

Wilmington: Low, mostly inland floodingBedford: Very low, mostly inland floodingCarlisle: Very low, mostly inland floodingChelmsford: Low, mostly inland floodingBurlington: Very low, mostly inland floodingAndover: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Reading: Low, mostly inland floodingTewksbury: Very low, mostly inland floodingReading: Very low, mostly inland floodingWoburn: Very low, mostly inland floodingConcord: Very low, mostly inland floodingLincoln: Very low, mostly inland floodingLexington: Very low, mostly inland floodingActon: Very low, mostly inland floodingWestford: Very low, mostly inland floodingTyngsborough: Low, mostly inland floodingLowell: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBillerica: Very low, mostly inland flooding BillericaWilmingtonBedfordCarlisleChelmsfordBurlington
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Chelmsfordmostly inland floodingLow
Wilmingtonmostly inland floodingLow
Billericamostly inland floodingVery low
Bedfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Burlingtonmostly inland floodingVery low
Carlislemostly 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. Billerica covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Billerica’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Billerica. 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 Billerica total about $8.5M 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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