Natural hazards · Wareham

Wareham, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wareham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 750 claims here since 1978. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wareham?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wareham to be higher than in 38% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding69%Coastal flooding13%Hurricanes7%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Wareham faces

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

Inland flooding

69% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce 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 Wareham flood?

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

750paid claims since 1978

$11.9Mpaid to owners

21homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Bob: 604 claims, $10.8M
March 2010 Nor'easter: 18 claims, $102K
Hurricane Sandy: 3 claims, $78K

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. Wareham isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Plymouth County.

Disasters that hit Wareham

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WarehamDeclared for Plymouth County only

2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$78K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2018

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$27K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$119K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$56K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2012

Hurricane Sandy

$103K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$255K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2010

Hurricane Earl

$23K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

85 households applied for aid $156K aid approved $54K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$21K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$208K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

2003

Snow

$135K to the Town of Wareham for repairs

Plymouth County has had 26 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Wareham

Wareham and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Carvermostly inland floodingModerate

Rochestermostly inland floodingLow

Warehammostly inland floodingLow

Bournemostly inland floodingLow

Middleboroughmostly inland floodingLow

Marionmostly inland floodingLow

Plymouthmostly 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. Wareham covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wareham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Wareham. 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 Wareham total about $5.4M 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.