Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Palmer Town as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmer Town gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #242 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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 Palmer Town 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 Palmer Town’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palmer Town, and Palmer Town’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #242 of 283 in Massachusetts; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Palmer Town’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Palmer Town has more expected damage per building than 85% of Massachusetts towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Palmer Town: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Palmer Town flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2005
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palmer Town, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Palmer Town 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.The storms Palmer Town remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Hampden County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Palmer Town itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20054 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Hampden County
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 Palmer Town after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palmer Town archive →Palmer Town and its neighbors
Palmer Town is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belchertown | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Brimfield | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Warren | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ware | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Monson | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Palmer Town | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Palmer Town 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 Palmer Town
Is Palmer Town at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmer Town has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #242 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Palmer Town flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Palmer Town since 2005, $59K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Palmer Town 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 Palmer Town?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palmer Town’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Palmer Town at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Palmer Town’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palmer Town.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palmer Town’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.