Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Berlin than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berlin gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #117 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then hurricanes (29%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Berlin 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
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 Berlin’s grade
River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Berlin, and Berlin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #117 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Berlin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Berlin has less expected damage per building than 59% of Massachusetts towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $688K a year in losses across Berlin: $600K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Berlin flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Berlin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Berlin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Worcester County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Berlin
Disasters that paid out in Berlin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Berlin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$33K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$21K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$70K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$17K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$74K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
Show all 10
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$13K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2003Snow$9K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2003Snow$9K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
- 2001Snow$9K to the Town of Berlin for repairs
Worcester County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Berlin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Berlin archive →Berlin and its neighbors
Berlin is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlborough | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Clinton | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Boylston | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Hudson | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Bolton | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Berlin | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Northborough | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Berlin 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.
- 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 Berlin
Is Berlin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berlin has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #117 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and hurricanes (29%). 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.
Is Berlin 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 Worcester County, 65% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Berlin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Berlin’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 Berlin?
By FEMA money that reached Berlin, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2008): $74K to the Town of Berlin for repairs.
Is Berlin at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Berlin’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Berlin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Berlin’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.