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Natural hazards · Plaistow

Plaistow, NH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Plaistow comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023. 14 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Plaistow?

25
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Plaistow to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding62%Earthquakes13%Tornadoes7%Hurricanes7%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Plaistow faces

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

Inland flooding

62% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

13% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 24% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

7% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

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 Plaistow flood?

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

1paid claims since 2023
$22Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
20232026

Biggest named events

  • December Nor'easter: 1 claim, $22K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Plaistow 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 Plaistow

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into PlaistowDeclared for Rockingham County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$44K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$39K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$41K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$8K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2011

Severe Storm and Snowstorm

$22K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$5K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2010

Severe Winter Storm

$23K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm

$114K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

$7K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

27 households applied for aid $34K aid approved $3K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2005

Record Snow

$23K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$24K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2003

Snow

$18K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
2001

Snow

$31K to the Town of Plaistow for repairs
Rockingham County has had 30 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Around Plaistow

Plaistow and the towns around it

Atkinson: Low, mostly inland floodingKingston: Low, mostly inland floodingNewton: Very low, mostly inland floodingHampstead: Very low, mostly inland floodingHaverhill: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSalem: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDerry: Moderate, mostly inland floodingExeter: Moderate, mostly inland floodingDanville: Low, mostly inland floodingEast Kingston: Low, mostly inland floodingBrentwood: Low, mostly inland floodingSouth Hampton: Low, mostly inland floodingMerrimac: Low, mostly inland floodingSandown: Low, mostly inland floodingGroveland: Low, mostly inland floodingWest Newbury: Moderate, mostly inland floodingMethuen: Low, mostly inland floodingBoxford: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Andover: Low, mostly inland floodingPlaistow: Low, mostly inland flooding PlaistowAtkinsonKingstonNewtonHampsteadHaverhill
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Haverhillmostly inland floodingModerate
Plaistowmostly inland floodingLow
Kingstonmostly inland floodingLow
Atkinsonmostly inland floodingLow
Newtonmostly inland floodingVery low
Hampsteadmostly 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. Plaistow covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Plaistow’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Plaistow. 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 Plaistow total about $1.8M 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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