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Natural hazards · Ipswich

Ipswich, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ipswich comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1978. 13 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Ipswich?

49
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ipswich to be higher than in 49% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.

Inland flooding50%Coastal flooding22%Hurricanes7%Earthquakes6%Drought6%Everything else8%
By hazard

What Ipswich faces

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

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

22% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

7% 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
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Drought

6% of expected damage
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Ipswich flood?

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

30paid claims since 1978
$404Kpaid to owners
2homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • The “Halloween” storm: 5 claims, $139K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 3 claims, $32K
  • Not a named storm: 2 claims, $2K

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. Ipswich 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 Ipswich

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into IpswichDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$91K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$190K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$126K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$91K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$12K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$61K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

91 households applied for aid $105K aid approved $32K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$25K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

186 households applied for aid $299K aid approved $200K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$79K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2004

Flooding

10 households applied for aid $13K aid approved
2003

Snow

$92K to the Town of Ipswich for repairs
2001

Snow

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

Ipswich and the towns around it

Essex: High, mostly coastal floodingHamilton: Very low, mostly inland floodingRowley: Moderate, mostly inland floodingTopsfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingGloucester: Low, mostly coastal floodingBoxford: Very low, mostly inland floodingManchester-by-the-Sea: Very low, mostly inland floodingWenham: Very low, mostly inland floodingNewbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGeorgetown: Very low, mostly inland floodingMiddleton: Low, mostly inland floodingDanvers: Very low, mostly inland floodingRockport: Low, mostly coastal floodingNorth Andover: Low, mostly inland floodingHaverhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGroveland: Low, mostly inland floodingIpswich: Moderate, mostly inland flooding IpswichEssexHamiltonRowleyTopsfieldGloucesterBoxford
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Essexmostly coastal floodingHigh
Ipswichmostly inland floodingModerate
Rowleymostly inland floodingModerate
Gloucestermostly coastal floodingLow
Boxfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Topsfieldmostly 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. Ipswich covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ipswich’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Ipswich. 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 Ipswich total about $4.9M 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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