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Natural hazards · Wenham

Wenham, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wenham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1982. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Wenham?

6
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wenham to be higher than in 6% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding60%Hurricanes14%Earthquakes9%Tornadoes7%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Wenham faces

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

Inland flooding

60% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 11% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

14% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Wenham flood?

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

1paid claims since 1982
$724paid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19822026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 1 claim, $724
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Wenham 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 Wenham

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WenhamDeclared for Essex County only
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$43K to the Town of Wenham for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$27K to the Town of Wenham for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

17 households applied for aid $33K aid approved
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$6K to the Town of Wenham for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

24 households applied for aid $40K aid approved $24K to the Town of Wenham for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$22K to the Town of Wenham for repairs
2004

Flooding

5 households applied for aid $11K aid approved
2003

Snow

$36K to the Town of Wenham for repairs
2001

Snow

$20K to the Town of Wenham for repairs
Essex County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Wenham

Wenham and the towns around it

Topsfield: Very low, mostly inland floodingBeverly: Very low, mostly inland floodingDanvers: Very low, mostly inland floodingHamilton: Very low, mostly inland floodingManchester-by-the-Sea: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoxford: Very low, mostly inland floodingMiddleton: Low, mostly inland floodingIpswich: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSalem: Low, mostly inland floodingPeabody: Low, mostly inland floodingEssex: High, mostly coastal floodingGloucester: Low, mostly coastal floodingWenham: Very low, mostly inland flooding WenhamTopsfieldBeverlyDanversHamiltonManchester-by-the-Sea
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Topsfieldmostly inland floodingVery low
Manchester-by-the-Seamostly inland floodingVery low
Danversmostly inland floodingVery low
Hamiltonmostly inland floodingVery low
Beverlymostly inland floodingVery low
Wenhammostly 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. Wenham covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wenham’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Wenham. 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 Wenham total about $757K 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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