Photo: en:User:LymanSchool (Richard B. Johnson) · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Hardwick’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, Hardwick gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #190 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then hurricanes (19%). 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 stands out about Hardwick’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hardwick 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 Hardwick’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hardwick, and Hardwick’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B #190 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hardwick’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, Hardwick has more expected damage per building than 67% of Massachusetts towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $607K a year in losses across Hardwick: $418K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hardwick flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hardwick. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hardwick 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.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hardwick
Disasters that paid out in Hardwick itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hardwick), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$26K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$14K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$50K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$74K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$17K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
- 2003Snow$22K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
Show all 8
- 2003Snow$10K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs
- 2001Snow$10K to the Town of Hardwick 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 Hardwick after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hardwick archive →Hardwick and its neighbors
Hardwick is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersham | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | — |
| New Braintree | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hardwick | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Ware | Bless damage than 59% | 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 Hardwick 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 Hardwick
Is Hardwick at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hardwick has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #190 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and hurricanes (19%). 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 Hardwick 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 Hardwick?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hardwick’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 Hardwick?
By FEMA money that reached Hardwick, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2008): $74K to the Town of Hardwick for repairs.
Is Hardwick at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Hardwick’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hardwick.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hardwick’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.