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Becket Arts CenterPhoto: ToddC4176 · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Becket · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Becket as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Becket gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 87%Hurricanes 8%Tornadoes 3%

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

more than 57%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Massachusetts · higher than 57% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2005 · $47K
Disasters paid out here
11
of 17 declared for Berkshire County
By hazard

What Becket 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

87%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Landslides top 3% Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Becket’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Becket, and Becket’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Becket sits
Becket
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Becket’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hurricanes8%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $723K a year in losses across Becket: $644K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Becket’s 1,931 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Washington town (494 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Becket flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Becket, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520082009
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $6K
4
paid claims since 2005
$47K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Becket isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Berkshire County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Becket

Disasters that paid out in Becket itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Becket), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$16K to the Town of Becket for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Town of Becket for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene28 households applied for aid$76K aid approved$352K to the Town of Becket for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $6K
  4. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$12K to the Town of Becket for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$388K to the Town of Becket for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$71K to the Town of Becket for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$141K to the Town of Becket for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$9K to the Town of Becket for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Becket for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Becket for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Becket for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BecketBerkshire County only

Berkshire County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Becket after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Becket archive →
Next door

Becket and its neighbors

Becket has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Middlefield: not gradedOtis: hazard risk C+Washington: not gradedTyringham: not gradedLee: hazard risk CChester: hazard risk C−MiddlefieldOtisWashingtonTyringhamLeeChesterBecket
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BecketC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding4
OtisC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding3
LeeCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding10
ChesterC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding9
Middlefield—352 residents; we grade 1,000+
Washington—526 residents; we grade 1,000+
Tyringham—494 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Becket faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Becket

Is Becket at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Becket has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Becket flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Becket since 2005, $47K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Becket 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 Berkshire County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Becket?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Becket’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 Becket?

By FEMA money that reached Becket, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 28 households applied for aid, $76K approved, and $352K to the Town of Becket for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $6K.

Is Becket at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Becket’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Becket.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Becket’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.