TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
New BedfordGood night
Natural hazards · New Bedford

New Bedford, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in New Bedford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 34 claims here since 1979. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is New Bedford?

12
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in New Bedford to be higher than in 12% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Hurricanes14%Earthquakes7%Everything else13%
By hazard

What New Bedford 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
Well below average · higher than 23% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

14% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 New Bedford flood?

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

34paid claims since 1979
$1.4Mpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Bob: 11 claims, $187K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 2 claims, $6K
  • Hurricane Ida: 2 claims, $9K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. New Bedford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bristol County.
Disasters that hit New Bedford

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in New Bedford itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of New Bedford.

Brought FEMA money into New BedfordDeclared for Bristol County only
2023

Severe Storms and Flooding

12 households applied for aid $24K aid approved
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$333K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$192K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$223K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$324K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$248K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2010

Hurricane Earl

$44K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

160 households applied for aid $186K aid approved $5K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

9 households applied for aid $4K aid approved $3K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$348K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
2003

Snow

$189K to the City of New Bedford for repairs
Bristol County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around New Bedford

New Bedford and the towns around it

Fairhaven: Very low, mostly inland floodingAcushnet: Very low, mostly inland floodingDartmouth: Very low, mostly inland floodingMattapoisett: Low, mostly inland floodingFreetown: Low, mostly inland floodingRochester: Low, mostly inland floodingWestport: Very low, mostly inland floodingGosnold: Low, mostly inland floodingNew Bedford: Very low, mostly inland flooding New BedfordFairhavenAcushnetDartmouth
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Fairhavenmostly inland floodingVery low
New Bedfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Acushnetmostly inland floodingVery low
Dartmouthmostly 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. New Bedford covers 31 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to New Bedford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of New Bedford. 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 New Bedford total about $10.1M 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.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in New Bedford, MAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

New Bedford 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/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map