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Natural hazards · West Warwick

West Warwick, RI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in West Warwick comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 144 claims here since 1979. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is West Warwick?

40
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in West Warwick to be higher than in 40% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding77%Hurricanes8%Everything else15%
By hazard

What West Warwick faces

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

Inland flooding

77% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 West Warwick flood?

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

144paid claims since 1979
$6.8Mpaid to owners
21homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 57 claims, $4.7M
  • December Nor'easter: 6 claims, $669K
  • Not a named storm: 5 claims, $134K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (5) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. West Warwick isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kent County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters that hit West Warwick

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into West WarwickDeclared for Kent County only
2024

Severe Storms and Flooding

197 households applied for aid $703K aid approved $1.8M to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
2023

Severe Storm and Flooding

77 households applied for aid $176K aid approved
2022

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$148K to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$48K to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$97K to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

$18K to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
2011

Tropical Storm Irene

$77K to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

1,349 households applied for aid $2.3M aid approved $910K to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
2005

Record Snow

$82K to the Town of West Warwick for repairs
Kent County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Around West Warwick

West Warwick and the towns around it

Warwick: Low, mostly inland floodingCoventry: Low, mostly inland floodingCranston: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Greenwich: Low, mostly inland floodingNorth Kingstown: Low, mostly inland floodingPortsmouth: Very low, mostly inland floodingBarrington: Low, mostly inland floodingEast Providence: Very low, mostly inland floodingWest Greenwich: Very low, mostly inland floodingSterling: High, mostly inland floodingScituate: Low, mostly inland floodingFoster: Low, mostly inland floodingJohnston: Low, mostly inland floodingProvidence: Low, mostly inland floodingExeter: Very low, mostly inland floodingWest Warwick: Moderate, mostly inland flooding West WarwickWarwickCoventryCranstonEast Greenwich
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Cranstonmostly inland floodingModerate
West Warwickmostly inland floodingModerate
Coventrymostly inland floodingLow
East Greenwichmostly inland floodingLow
Warwickmostly 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. West Warwick covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to West Warwick’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of West Warwick. 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 West Warwick total about $6.1M 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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