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Natural hazards · Chester

Chester, NH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chester comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2006. 14 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Chester?

45
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chester to be higher than in 45% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding73%Hurricanes6%Tornadoes5%Everything else16%
By hazard

What Chester faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

6% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 24% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce 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 Chester flood?

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

2paid claims since 2006
$11Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20062026
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Chester isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rockingham County.
Disasters that hit Chester

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into ChesterDeclared for Rockingham County only
2024

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$25K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$43K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$40K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$9K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$13K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$11K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2010

Severe Winter Storm

$61K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm

$112K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

8 households applied for aid $13K aid approved $49K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

14 households applied for aid $17K aid approved $76K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2005

Record Snow

$15K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$21K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2003

Snow

$19K to the Town of Chester for repairs
2001

Snow

$21K to the Town of Chester for repairs
Rockingham County has had 30 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Chester

Chester and the towns around it

Sandown: Low, mostly inland floodingRaymond: High, mostly inland floodingAuburn: Low, mostly inland floodingDerry: Moderate, mostly inland floodingCandia: Low, mostly inland floodingHampstead: Very low, mostly inland floodingDanville: Low, mostly inland floodingFremont: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEpping: Moderate, mostly inland floodingManchester: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHooksett: Low, mostly inland floodingLondonderry: Low, mostly inland floodingAtkinson: Low, mostly inland floodingWindham: Low, mostly inland floodingSalem: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDeerfield: Moderate, mostly inland floodingChester: Moderate, mostly inland flooding ChesterSandownRaymondAuburnDerryCandia
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Raymondmostly inland floodingHigh
Chestermostly inland floodingModerate
Derrymostly inland floodingModerate
Sandownmostly inland floodingLow
Candiamostly inland floodingLow
Auburnmostly 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. Chester covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chester’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Chester. 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 Chester total about $1.6M 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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