Natural hazards · Braintree

Braintree, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Braintree comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 136 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Braintree?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Braintree to be higher than in 61% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding82%Hurricanes7%Earthquakes5%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Braintree faces

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

Inland flooding

82% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Braintree flood?

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

136paid claims since 1978

$2.1Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

March 2010 Nor'easter: 45 claims, $1.2M
Not a named storm: 9 claims, $31K
December Storm - Nor'easter: 3 claims, $16K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Braintree 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 Braintree

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Norfolk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Braintree itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into BraintreeDeclared for Norfolk County only

Norfolk County has had 31 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Braintree

Braintree and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Braintree Townmostly inland floodingHigh

Quincymostly inland floodingModerate

Randolph Townmostly inland floodingLow

Holbrookmostly inland floodingLow

Weymouth Townmostly 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. Braintree covers 9 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Braintree’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Braintree. 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 Braintree total about $13.7M 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.