Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0For coastal flooding, Barnstable Town’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barnstable Town gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #246 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then hurricanes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 197 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Barnstable Town’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Barnstable Town 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
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
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 Barnstable Town’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Barnstable Town, and Barnstable Town’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 20%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #246 of 283 in Massachusetts; higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Barnstable Town’s residents live in 11 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Barnstable Town has more expected damage per building than 87% of Massachusetts towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.0M a year in losses across Barnstable Town: $16.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Barnstable Town flood? Yes: 197 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Barnstable Town, from FEMA’s records: 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Bob83 claims · $1.3M
- The “Halloween” storm8 claims · $93K
- The December Storm - nor’easter7 claims · $36K
Barnstable Town isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Barnstable County.The storms Barnstable Town remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Barnstable County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Barnstable Town itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199192 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storm, declared for Barnstable County
- 201817 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Flooding, declared for Barnstable County
- 19787 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Flood, Ice and Snow, declared for Barnstable County
Barnstable County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Barnstable Town after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Barnstable Town archive →Barnstable Town and its neighbors
Barnstable Town is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandwich | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 169 |
| Yarmouth | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 169 |
| Barnstable Town | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 197 |
| Mashpee | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 46 |
| West Yarmouth | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Popponesset Island | — | 33 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Yarmouth Port | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Mashpee Neck | — | 908 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Barnstable Town 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.
- 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Barnstable Town
Is Barnstable Town at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Barnstable Town has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #246 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and hurricanes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Barnstable Town flood?
Flood insurance has paid 197 claims in Barnstable Town since 1978, $3.3M in all, or 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Bob (83).
Is Barnstable Town 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 Barnstable County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Barnstable Town?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Barnstable Town’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Barnstable Town?
By flood claims, Hurricane Bob: 83 paid, $1.3M.
Is Barnstable Town at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Barnstable Town’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barnstable Town.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Barnstable Town’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.