Natural hazards · Franklin

Franklin, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Franklin comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Franklin?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding67%Hurricanes13%Earthquakes6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Franklin faces

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

Inland flooding

67% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Franklin flood?

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

23paid claims since 1979

$211Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

March 2010 Nor'easter: 6 claims, $99K
Not a named storm: 4 claims, $14K
December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $22K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Franklin 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 Franklin

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into FranklinDeclared for Norfolk County only

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

Around Franklin

Franklin and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Medwaymostly inland floodingLow

Bellinghammostly inland floodingVery low

Norfolkmostly inland floodingVery low

Wrenthammostly inland floodingVery low

Franklin Townmostly 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. Franklin covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Franklin’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Franklin. 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 Franklin total about $6.1M 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.