TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
GeorgetownGood morning
Natural hazards · Georgetown

Georgetown, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Georgetown comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1996. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Georgetown?

17
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Georgetown to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Hurricanes10%Earthquakes9%Tornadoes5%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Georgetown faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 37% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce 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 Georgetown flood?

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

16paid claims since 1996
$257Kpaid to owners
4homes flooded more than once
19962026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $71K

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. Georgetown 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 Georgetown

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into GeorgetownDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$53K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$128K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$70K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$11K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$44K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

99 households applied for aid $201K aid approved $55K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

77 households applied for aid $120K aid approved $30K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$42K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2004

Flooding

12 households applied for aid $21K aid approved
2003

Snow

$85K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2001

Snow

$42K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Georgetown

Georgetown and the towns around it

Boxford: Very low, mostly inland floodingGroveland: Low, mostly inland floodingRowley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNewbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingTopsfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingMiddleton: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Andover: Low, mostly inland floodingHaverhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingIpswich: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Newbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNewburyport: Low, mostly inland floodingGeorgetown: Very low, mostly inland flooding GeorgetownBoxfordGrovelandRowleyNewbury
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Newburymostly inland floodingModerate
Rowleymostly inland floodingModerate
Grovelandmostly inland floodingLow
Boxfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Georgetownmostly 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. Georgetown covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Georgetown’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Georgetown. 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 Georgetown total about $1.6M 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 coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Georgetown, MAEssex CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Georgetown is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map