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Natural hazards · Dedham

Dedham, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Dedham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 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 Dedham?

16
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding71%Hurricanes12%Earthquakes7%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Dedham faces

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

Inland flooding

71% 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 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 60% 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 Dedham flood?

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

30paid claims since 1978
$231Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 13 claims, $165K
  • Not a named storm: 2 claims, $2K

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. Dedham 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 Dedham

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into DedhamDeclared for Norfolk County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$144K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$344K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$194K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$146K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$169K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

353 households applied for aid $537K aid approved $60K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

5 households applied for aid
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$322K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2004

Flooding

4 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2003

Snow

$263K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
2001

Snow

$89K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
Norfolk County has had 31 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around Dedham

Dedham and the towns around it

Canton: Very low, mostly inland floodingNeedham: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoston: Very low, mostly inland floodingWestwood: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorwood: Very low, mostly inland floodingStoughton: Very low, mostly inland floodingSharon: Very low, mostly inland floodingDover: Very low, mostly inland floodingNewton: Low, mostly inland floodingWellesley: Low, mostly inland floodingMilton: Low, mostly inland floodingBrookline: Very low, mostly inland floodingCambridge: Low, mostly inland floodingWinthrop Town: 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 floodingWalpole: Very low, mostly inland floodingDedham: Very low, mostly inland flooding DedhamCantonNeedhamBostonWestwood
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Needhammostly inland floodingVery low
Dedhammostly inland floodingVery low
Cantonmostly inland floodingVery low
Bostonmostly inland floodingVery low
Westwoodmostly 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. Dedham covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Dedham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Dedham. 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 Dedham total about $4.7M 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.

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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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