Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0FEMA puts Chester’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chester gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2005.
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 Chester 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 Chester’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chester, and Chester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Chester’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $507K a year in losses across Chester: $466K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chester flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2005
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chester, from FEMA’s records: 13.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene3 claims · $17K
Chester 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.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chester
Disasters that paid out in Chester itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Chester), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$103K to the Town of Chester for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $17K
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Chester for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$142K to the Town of Chester for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$235K to the Town of Chester for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$73K to the Town of Chester for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Chester for repairs
Show all 8
- 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Chester for repairs
- 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Chester for repairs
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.
Old photos of Chester after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chester archive →Chester and its neighbors
Chester is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Becket | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Worthington | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Blandford | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Chester | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Huntington | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Middlefield | — | 352 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 Chester 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 Chester
Is Chester at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chester has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) 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 Chester flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Chester since 2005, $57K in all, or 13.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).
Is Chester 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 Chester?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chester’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 Chester?
By FEMA money that reached Chester, Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding (2007): $235K to the Town of Chester for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $17K.
Is Chester at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Chester’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chester.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chester’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.