Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Gosnold
Gosnold isn’t graded for hazard risk: Gosnold has 31 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1991.
What Gosnold 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.
Does Gosnold flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gosnold, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Bob1 claim · $2K
Gosnold isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dukes County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gosnold
Disasters that paid out in Gosnold itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Gosnold), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$1K to the Town of Gosnold for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$21K to the Town of Gosnold for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$13K to the Town of Gosnold for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$1K to the Town of Gosnold for repairs
Dukes County has had 16 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 Gosnold after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gosnold archive →Gosnold and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 94 |
| Tisbury | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Chilmark | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Tisbury | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Falmouth | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 510 |
| Woods Hole | — | 988 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Aquinnah | — | 666 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 Gosnold 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 Gosnold
Does Gosnold flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Gosnold since 1991, $2K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Bob (1).
Is Gosnold 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 Dukes County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gosnold?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gosnold’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 Gosnold?
By FEMA money that reached Gosnold, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $21K to the Town of Gosnold for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Bob: 1 paid, $2K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gosnold.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gosnold’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.