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Natural hazards · Douglas

Douglas, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Douglas comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Douglas?

25
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Douglas to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding54%Hurricanes27%Cold waves5%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Douglas faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

27% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Douglas flood?

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

2paid claims since 1979
$5Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 1 claim, $2K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Douglas isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Worcester County.
Disasters that hit Douglas

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into DouglasDeclared for Worcester County only
2023

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $17K aid approved
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$41K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$80K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$36K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$9K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$22K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

37 households applied for aid $57K aid approved $36K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$29K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

$10K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$53K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2003

Snow

$62K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
2001

Snow

$24K to the Town of Douglas for repairs
Worcester County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Douglas

Douglas and the towns around it

Uxbridge: Low, mostly inland floodingSutton: Very low, mostly inland floodingWebster: Moderate, mostly inland floodingThompson: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBurrillville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOxford: Low, mostly inland floodingNorthbridge: Low, mostly inland floodingMillville: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMillbury: Low, mostly inland floodingGrafton: Low, mostly inland floodingDudley: Low, mostly inland floodingWoodstock: Moderate, mostly inland floodingPutnam: High, mostly inland floodingGlocester: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Smithfield: Low, mostly inland floodingAuburn: Very low, mostly inland floodingCharlton: Low, mostly inland floodingDouglas: Low, mostly inland flooding DouglasUxbridgeSuttonWebsterThompsonBurrillvilleOxford
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Thompsonmostly inland floodingModerate
Burrillvillemostly inland floodingModerate
Webstermostly inland floodingModerate
Uxbridgemostly inland floodingLow
Oxfordmostly inland floodingLow
Douglasmostly inland floodingLow
Suttonmostly 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. Douglas covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Douglas’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Douglas. 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 Douglas total about $1.8M 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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