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Natural hazards · Brookline

Brookline, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Brookline comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1978. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Brookline?

10
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Brookline to be higher than in 10% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding61%Earthquakes13%Hurricanes13%Everything else13%
By hazard

What Brookline faces

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

Inland flooding

61% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

13% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

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 Brookline flood?

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

19paid claims since 1978
$443Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 2 claims, $2K
  • The “Halloween” storm: 1 claim, $5K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $5K

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. Brookline 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 Brookline

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BrooklineDeclared for Norfolk County only
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$422K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$320K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$37K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$346K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$310K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$221K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$297K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

40 households applied for aid $48K aid approved $197K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$263K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2003

Snow

$221K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
2001

Snow

$140K to the Town of Brookline for repairs
Norfolk County has had 31 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around Brookline

Brookline and the towns around it

Boston: Very low, mostly inland floodingNewton: Low, mostly inland floodingMilton: Low, mostly inland floodingCambridge: Low, mostly inland floodingWinthrop Town: Low, mostly inland floodingDedham: Very low, mostly inland floodingRevere: Low, mostly inland floodingQuincy: Moderate, mostly inland floodingChelsea: Low, mostly inland floodingWatertown: Low, mostly inland floodingEverett: Low, mostly inland floodingHull: Very high, mostly coastal floodingNeedham: Very low, mostly inland floodingWellesley: Low, mostly inland floodingWeston: Very low, mostly inland floodingWaltham: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBrookline: Very low, mostly inland flooding BrooklineBostonNewton
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Newtonmostly inland floodingLow
Bostonmostly inland floodingVery low
Brooklinemostly 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. Brookline covers 15 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Brookline’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Brookline. 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 Brookline total about $8.0M 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.

The porch light’s on

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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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