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Natural hazards · Essex

Essex, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Essex comes from coastal flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 85 claims here since 1978. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Essex?

61
High
vs. U.S. communities

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

Coastal flooding46%Inland flooding37%Hurricanes6%Earthquakes5%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Essex faces

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

Coastal flooding

46% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

37% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce 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 Essex flood?

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

85paid claims since 1978
$1.9Mpaid to owners
10homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • The “Halloween” storm: 6 claims, $210K
  • April 2007 Nor'easter: 6 claims, $186K
  • Not a named storm: 5 claims, $9K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4) ■ flooded 2+ times

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

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into EssexDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$17K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$28K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$27K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$4K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$20K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

7 households applied for aid $27K aid approved $9K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$19K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

28 households applied for aid $38K aid approved $24K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$20K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2004

Flooding

3 households applied for aid $7K aid approved
2003

Snow

$28K to the Town of Essex for repairs
2001

Snow

$13K to the Town of Essex for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Essex

Essex and the towns around it

Ipswich: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHamilton: Very low, mostly inland floodingGloucester: Low, mostly coastal floodingManchester-by-the-Sea: Very low, mostly inland floodingRowley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingTopsfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoxford: Very low, mostly inland floodingWenham: Very low, mostly inland floodingRockport: Low, mostly coastal floodingBeverly: Very low, mostly inland floodingEssex: High, mostly coastal flooding EssexIpswichHamiltonGloucesterManchester-by-the-Sea
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Essexmostly coastal floodingHigh
Ipswichmostly inland floodingModerate
Gloucestermostly coastal floodingLow
Manchester-by-the-Seamostly inland floodingVery low
Hamiltonmostly 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. Essex covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Essex’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Essex. 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 Essex total about $1.7M 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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