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Natural hazards · Salisbury

Salisbury, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Salisbury comes from coastal flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 323 claims here since 1978. 15 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Salisbury?

90
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Salisbury to be higher than in 90% of U.S. communities, mostly from coastal flooding and inland flooding.

Coastal flooding71%Inland flooding21%Everything else8%
By hazard

What Salisbury faces

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

Coastal flooding

71% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

21% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Salisbury flood?

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

323paid claims since 1978
$7.4Mpaid to owners
43homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • The “Halloween” storm: 97 claims, $2.1M
  • April 2007 Nor'easter: 27 claims, $540K
  • December Storm - Nor'easter: 18 claims, $501K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (11) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 10% off flood insurance. Salisbury is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Essex County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit Salisbury

15 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SalisburyDeclared for Essex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$30K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$33K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$30K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$35K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$16K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$19K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2010

Hurricane Earl

$10K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

35 households applied for aid $15K aid approved $44K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$46K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$255K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

114 households applied for aid $212K aid approved $93K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$17K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2004

Flooding

6 households applied for aid $8K aid approved
2003

Snow

$31K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
2001

Snow

$13K to the Town of Salisbury for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Salisbury

Salisbury and the towns around it

Newburyport: Low, mostly inland floodingSeabrook: High, mostly inland floodingAmesbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth Hampton: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Newbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNewbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHampton Falls: Low, mostly inland floodingHampton: Very high, mostly coastal floodingMerrimac: Low, mostly inland floodingNewton: Very low, mostly inland floodingEast Kingston: Low, mostly inland floodingKensington: Low, mostly inland floodingSalisbury: Very high, mostly coastal flooding SalisburyNewburyportSeabrookAmesburySouth Hampton
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Salisburymostly coastal floodingVery high
Seabrookmostly inland floodingHigh
Amesburymostly inland floodingModerate
Newburyportmostly inland floodingLow
South Hamptonmostly inland 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. Salisbury covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Salisbury’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Salisbury. 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 Salisbury total about $8.7M 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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You’re in Salisbury, MAEssex CountyView boundary

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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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