Hanover’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hanover comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011. 14 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Hanover’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Hanover and its neighbors
Hanover has the lowest rating of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hanover
Disasters that paid out in Hanover itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hanover) and its biggest flood years.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$48K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$197K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$128K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$12K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$42K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
Show all 14
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$23K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$45K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$53K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$16K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$24K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2005Record And/Or Near Record Snow$20K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2003Snow$22K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
- 2001Snow$17K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
Grafton County has had 32 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Hanover after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hanover archive →How exposed is Hanover?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 54% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 145 of the 234 New Hampshire towns we cover.
Hanover covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
What Hanover faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Does Hanover flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hanover, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $4K
Hanover isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grafton County.Get ready for what Hanover actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Disasters here can come any time of year
The month each of Grafton County’s 32 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Hanover’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Hanover.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Hanover, expected losses total about $4.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hanover.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.