TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
RockportGood evening
Natural hazards · Rockport

Rockport, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rockport comes from coastal flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 250 claims here since 1978. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Rockport?

27
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Rockport to be higher than in 27% of U.S. communities, mostly from coastal flooding and inland flooding.

Coastal flooding52%Inland flooding25%Hurricanes8%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Rockport faces

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

Coastal flooding

52% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

25% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 2% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Rockport flood?

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

250paid claims since 1978
$4.7Mpaid to owners
24homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • The “Halloween” storm: 121 claims, $2.9M
  • December Storm - Nor'easter: 17 claims, $126K
  • Not a named storm: 3 claims, $4K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3) ■ flooded 2+ times

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

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into RockportDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$65K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$3.3M to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$50K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$3.9M to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$28K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

15 households applied for aid $20K aid approved $174K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$313K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

75 households applied for aid $117K aid approved $1.1M to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$34K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2004

Flooding

5 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2003

Snow

$39K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
2001

Snow

$16K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Rockport

Rockport and the towns around it

Gloucester: Low, mostly coastal floodingManchester-by-the-Sea: Very low, mostly inland floodingEssex: High, mostly coastal floodingIpswich: Moderate, mostly inland floodingRockport: Low, mostly coastal flooding RockportGloucester
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Gloucestermostly coastal floodingLow
Rockportmostly coastal floodingLow
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. Rockport covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Rockport’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Rockport. 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 Rockport total about $1.9M 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.

The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Rockport, MAEssex CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Rockport 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