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Natural hazards · Harvard

Harvard, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Harvard comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Harvard?

14
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Harvard to be higher than in 14% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding44%Hurricanes30%Cold waves6%Earthquakes5%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Harvard faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 8% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

30% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Harvard flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Harvard.

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

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into HarvardDeclared for Worcester County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$39K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$81K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$22K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$90K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$3K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

15 households applied for aid $11K aid approved $30K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$598K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$18K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2004

Flooding

1 household applied for aid $3K aid approved
2003

Snow

$32K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
2001

Snow

$14K to the Town of Harvard for repairs
Worcester County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Harvard

Harvard and the towns around it

Lancaster: Low, mostly inland floodingShirley: Very low, mostly inland floodingAyer: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoxborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingBolton: Low, mostly inland floodingLittleton: Very low, mostly inland floodingLeominster: Low, mostly inland floodingClinton: Very low, mostly hurricanesSterling: Very low, mostly inland floodingGroton: Very low, mostly inland floodingLunenburg: Very low, mostly inland floodingActon: Very low, mostly inland floodingStow: Low, mostly inland floodingHudson: Very low, mostly inland floodingBerlin: Low, mostly inland floodingWestford: Very low, mostly inland floodingHarvard: Very low, mostly inland flooding HarvardLancasterShirleyAyerBoxboroughBoltonLittleton
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Lancastermostly inland floodingLow
Boltonmostly inland floodingLow
Shirleymostly inland floodingVery low
Harvardmostly inland floodingVery low
Littletonmostly inland floodingVery low
Boxboroughmostly inland floodingVery low
Ayermostly 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. Harvard covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Harvard’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Harvard. 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 Harvard total about $1.4M 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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