Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Holyoke’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holyoke gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Holyoke faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Hail
Strong wind
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Holyoke’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Holyoke, and Holyoke’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Holyoke’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Holyoke: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Holyoke flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Holyoke, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Holyoke isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Phillips County.The storms Holyoke remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Phillips County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Holyoke itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Heavy Rain, Flash Floods, Flooding, Mudslides, declared for Phillips County
Phillips County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Holyoke after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Holyoke archive →Get ready for what Holyoke faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Holyoke
Is Holyoke at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holyoke has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and tornadoes (19%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Holyoke flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Holyoke since 1997, $2K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Holyoke in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Phillips County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Holyoke?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Holyoke’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Holyoke at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Holyoke’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Holyoke.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Holyoke’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.