TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
LunenburgGood morning
Natural hazards · Lunenburg

Lunenburg, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lunenburg comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Lunenburg?

18
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lunenburg to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding51%Hurricanes22%Cold waves7%Earthquakes6%Everything else14%
By hazard

What Lunenburg faces

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

Inland flooding

51% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

22% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 57% 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 Lunenburg flood?

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

1paid claims since 2008
$3Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20082026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Lunenburg 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 Lunenburg

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LunenburgDeclared for Worcester County only
2023

Severe Storms and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$45K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$48K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$490K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$7K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

29 households applied for aid $32K aid approved $48K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$823K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

$3K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$54K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2004

Flooding

3 households applied for aid $1K aid approved
2003

Snow

$52K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
2001

Snow

$27K to the Town of Lunenburg for repairs
Worcester County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Lunenburg

Lunenburg and the towns around it

Fitchburg: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLeominster: Low, mostly inland floodingShirley: Very low, mostly inland floodingTownsend: Low, mostly inland floodingAshby: Very low, mostly inland floodingWestminster: Very low, mostly inland floodingAshburnham: Low, mostly inland floodingLancaster: Low, mostly inland floodingPrinceton: Very low, mostly inland floodingGroton: Very low, mostly inland floodingAyer: Very low, mostly inland floodingHarvard: Very low, mostly inland floodingPepperell: Low, mostly inland floodingBrookline: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLunenburg: Very low, mostly inland flooding LunenburgFitchburgLeominsterShirleyTownsendAshby
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Fitchburgmostly inland floodingModerate
Townsendmostly inland floodingLow
Leominstermostly inland floodingLow
Lunenburgmostly inland floodingVery low
Shirleymostly inland floodingVery low
Ashbymostly 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. Lunenburg covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lunenburg’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Lunenburg. 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 Lunenburg total about $2.2M 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 Lunenburg, MAWorcester CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Lunenburg 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