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Natural hazards · Pawtucket

Pawtucket, RI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Pawtucket comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1978. 10 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Pawtucket?

30
Low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Pawtucket to be higher than in 30% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding68%Heat waves8%Hurricanes8%Cold waves6%Earthquakes5%Everything else5%
By hazard

What Pawtucket faces

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

Inland flooding

68% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

8% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 30% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Pawtucket flood?

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

30paid claims since 1978
$1.7Mpaid to owners
5homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Not a named storm: 6 claims, $170K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $151K
  • Hurricane Bob: 1 claim, $1K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 15% off flood insurance. Pawtucket is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Providence County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1buildings floodproofed
Disasters that hit Pawtucket

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into PawtucketDeclared for Providence County only
2024

Severe Storms and Flooding

98 households applied for aid $264K aid approved
2023

Severe Storm and Flooding

51 households applied for aid $146K aid approved
2023

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

40 households applied for aid $25K aid approved
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$208K to the City of Pawtucket for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$290K to the City of Pawtucket for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$219K to the City of Pawtucket for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$423K to the City of Pawtucket for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

222 households applied for aid $113K aid approved $18K to the City of Pawtucket for repairs
2005

Record Snow

$168K to the City of Pawtucket for repairs
2003

Snow

$70K to the City of Pawtucket for repairs
Providence County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.
Around Pawtucket

Pawtucket and the towns around it

Central Falls: Moderate, mostly inland floodingProvidence: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Providence: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Providence: Very low, mostly inland floodingSeekonk: Very low, mostly inland floodingAttleboro: Low, mostly inland floodingCumberland: Low, mostly inland floodingLincoln: Low, mostly inland floodingJohnston: Low, mostly inland floodingCranston: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSmithfield: Low, mostly inland floodingBarrington: Low, mostly inland floodingWarwick: Low, mostly inland floodingRehoboth: Low, mostly inland floodingSwansea: Very low, mostly inland floodingNorth Attleborough Town: Low, mostly inland floodingPawtucket: Low, mostly inland flooding PawtucketCentral FallsProvidenceNorth ProvidenceEast ProvidenceSeekonkAttleboro
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
North Providencemostly inland floodingModerate
Central Fallsmostly inland floodingModerate
Providencemostly inland floodingLow
Pawtucketmostly inland floodingLow
Attleboromostly inland floodingLow
East Providencemostly inland floodingVery low
Seekonkmostly 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. Pawtucket covers 21 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Pawtucket’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Pawtucket. 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 Pawtucket total about $12.3M 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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