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Natural hazards · Ware

Ware, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ware comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Ware?

40
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ware to be higher than in 40% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Hurricanes14%Everything else21%
By hazard

What Ware 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
Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

14% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Ware flood?

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

3paid claims since 1979
$13Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Ware isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hampshire County.
Disasters that hit Ware

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WareDeclared for Hampshire County only
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$31K to the Town of Ware for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$484K to the Town of Ware for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$17K to the Town of Ware for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$27K to the Town of Ware for repairs
2005

Severe Storms and Flooding

9 households applied for aid $19K aid approved $26K to the Town of Ware for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$21K to the Town of Ware for repairs
2003

Snow

$33K to the Town of Ware for repairs
2001

Snow

$17K to the Town of Ware for repairs
Hampshire County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around Ware

Ware and the towns around it

Belchertown: Low, mostly inland floodingNew Salem: Low, mostly inland floodingPetersham: Very low, mostly inland floodingHardwick: Low, mostly inland floodingPalmer Town: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Brookfield: High, mostly inland floodingWarren: Low, mostly inland floodingPelham: Low, mostly inland floodingLudlow: Moderate, mostly inland floodingGranby: Low, mostly inland floodingAmherst Town: Low, mostly inland floodingShutesbury: Low, mostly inland floodingWendell: Moderate, mostly inland floodingAthol: High, mostly inland floodingOrange: High, mostly inland floodingPhillipston: Low, mostly inland floodingNew Braintree: Low, mostly inland floodingMonson: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBrimfield: Low, mostly inland floodingBrookfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNorth Brookfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWare: Moderate, mostly inland flooding WareBelchertownNew SalemPetershamHardwickPalmer TownWest BrookfieldWarren
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
West Brookfieldmostly inland floodingHigh
Palmer Townmostly inland floodingModerate
Waremostly inland floodingModerate
Warrenmostly inland floodingLow
New Salemmostly inland floodingLow
Hardwickmostly inland floodingLow
Belchertownmostly inland floodingLow
Petershammostly 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. Ware covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ware’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Ware. 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 Ware total about $2.1M 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.

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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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