TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
BoxfordGood night
Natural hazards · Boxford

Boxford, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Boxford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2001. 14 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Boxford?

19
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Boxford to be higher than in 19% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding69%Hurricanes10%Earthquakes6%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Boxford 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 34% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 59% 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 Boxford flood?

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

9paid claims since 2001
$40Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
20012026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $22K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Boxford 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 Boxford

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BoxfordDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$114K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$18K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$112K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$58K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$2K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$48K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

120 households applied for aid $247K aid approved $144K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$39K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$10K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

93 households applied for aid $187K aid approved $99K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$70K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2004

Flooding

10 households applied for aid $7K aid approved
2003

Snow

$89K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
2001

Snow

$39K to the Town of Boxford for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Boxford

Boxford and the towns around it

Topsfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingMiddleton: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Andover: Low, mostly inland floodingGeorgetown: Very low, mostly inland floodingHaverhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGroveland: Low, mostly inland floodingRowley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingIpswich: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHamilton: Very low, mostly inland floodingWenham: Very low, mostly inland floodingDanvers: Very low, mostly inland floodingPeabody: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Reading: Low, mostly inland floodingLynnfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingLawrence: Very high, mostly inland floodingMethuen: Low, mostly inland floodingAndover: Low, mostly inland floodingNewbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Newbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMerrimac: Low, mostly inland floodingAtkinson: Low, mostly inland floodingPlaistow: Low, mostly inland floodingEssex: High, mostly coastal floodingGloucester: Low, mostly coastal floodingBoxford: Very low, mostly inland flooding BoxfordTopsfieldMiddletonNorth AndoverGeorgetownHaverhillGrovelandRowleyIpswich
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Haverhillmostly inland floodingModerate
Ipswichmostly inland floodingModerate
Rowleymostly inland floodingModerate
North Andovermostly inland floodingLow
Grovelandmostly inland floodingLow
Middletonmostly inland floodingLow
Boxfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Topsfieldmostly inland floodingVery low
Georgetownmostly 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. Boxford covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Boxford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Boxford. 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 Boxford total about $2.0M 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Boxford, MAEssex CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Boxford is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map