South Hooksett’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in South Hooksett comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2007.
What stands out about South Hooksett’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is South Hooksett?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 32% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.
Calmer than 210 of the 234 New Hampshire towns we cover.
South Hooksett covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
South Hooksett and its neighbors
South Hooksett has the lowest rating of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | Moderate | inland flooding | 41 |
| Auburn | Low | inland flooding | 1 |
| Hooksett | Low | inland flooding | 21 |
| South Hooksett | Low | inland flooding | 9 |
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.
What South Hooksett faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Does South Hooksett flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2007
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Hooksett, from FEMA’s records.
- The March 2010 nor’easter2 claims · $108K
South Hooksett isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Merrimack County.Federal disasters declared here
None of the disasters declared for Merrimack County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Hooksett itself in FEMA’s records.
Merrimack County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Get ready for what South Hooksett 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of Merrimack County’s 24 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 South Hooksett’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to South Hooksett.
- 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 South Hooksett, expected losses total about $750K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Hooksett.
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.