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Natural hazards · Townsend

Townsend, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Townsend comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1979. 13 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Townsend?

27
Low
vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding70%Hurricanes7%Drought6%Everything else16%
By hazard

What Townsend faces

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

Inland flooding

70% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Drought

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

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Townsend flood?

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

15paid claims since 1979
$54Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • April 2007 Nor'easter: 3 claims, $24K
  • Not a named storm: 2 claims, $2K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $481

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. Townsend isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Middlesex County.
Disasters that hit Townsend

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into TownsendDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$22K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$36K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$30K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$147K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$2K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$47K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

15 households applied for aid $22K aid approved $2K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$122K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $2K aid approved $2K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$43K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2004

Flooding

5 households applied for aid $8K aid approved
2003

Snow

$61K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
2001

Snow

$31K to the Town of Townsend for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Townsend

Townsend and the towns around it

Pepperell: Low, mostly inland floodingLunenburg: Very low, mostly inland floodingBrookline: Moderate, mostly inland floodingAshby: Very low, mostly inland floodingGroton: Very low, mostly inland floodingDunstable: Very low, mostly inland floodingHollis: Moderate, mostly inland floodingFitchburg: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLeominster: Low, mostly inland floodingShirley: Very low, mostly inland floodingMilford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMason: Low, mostly inland floodingAshburnham: Low, mostly inland floodingTownsend: Low, mostly inland flooding TownsendPepperellLunenburgBrooklineAshby
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Brooklinemostly inland floodingModerate
Townsendmostly inland floodingLow
Pepperellmostly inland floodingLow
Lunenburgmostly 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. Townsend covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Townsend’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Townsend. 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 Townsend total about $2.3M 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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