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Brimfield Center Historic DistrictBrimfield Center Historic District · Photo: Daderot · CC0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Brimfield · FEMA

FEMA puts Brimfield’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brimfield gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #189 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then hurricanes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 75%Hurricanes 17%Tornadoes 4%

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

less than 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#189 of 283 in Massachusetts
Hazard risk
B+#189 of 283
in Massachusetts · lower than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2005 · $41K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
11
of 18 declared for Hampden County
By hazard

What Brimfield 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

75%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Brimfield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brimfield, and Brimfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Brimfield sits
Brimfield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #189 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Hurricanes17%Tornadoes4%Everything else4%

The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brimfield has more expected damage per building than 67% of Massachusetts towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $758K a year in losses across Brimfield: $663K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Brimfield’s 3,694 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Brimfield flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brimfield, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 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 claims200520082011
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
4
paid claims since 2005
$41K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hampden County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brimfield

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

  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$26K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$159K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$7K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
  4. 2011Severe Storms and Tornadoes247 households applied for aid$854K aid approved$466K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  5. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$28K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$14K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 11
  1. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$22K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  2. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$95K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  3. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$19K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$16K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$13K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BrimfieldHampden County only

Hampden County has had 18 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 Brimfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Brimfield archive →
Next door

Brimfield and its neighbors

Brimfield is 2nd of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Palmer Town: hazard risk B−Warren: hazard risk BMonson: hazard risk B−Wales: hazard risk BHolland: hazard risk BSturbridge: hazard risk B+Palmer TownWarrenMonsonWalesHollandSturbridgeBrimfield
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SturbridgeB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding7
BrimfieldB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding4
WarrenBless damage than 61%river and rain flooding1
WalesBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding4
HollandBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding4
MonsonB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding4
Palmer TownB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding4

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 Brimfield 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 Brimfield

Is Brimfield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brimfield has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #189 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and hurricanes (17%). 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 Brimfield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Brimfield since 2005, $41K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Brimfield 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 Hampden County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Brimfield?

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

By FEMA money that reached Brimfield, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2011): 247 households applied for aid, $854K approved, and $466K to the Town of Brimfield for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $5K.

Is Brimfield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Brimfield’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brimfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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