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Foliage in richmondPhoto: Croosadabilia croosadabilia · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Richmond · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Richmond than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richmond gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2021.

River and rain flooding 84%Hurricanes 10%Tornadoes 3%

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
Hazard risk
B
in Massachusetts · lower than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2021 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 17 declared for Berkshire County

What stands out about Richmond’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Richmond 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

84%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Landslides top 2% Strong wind Hail Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
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 Richmond’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Richmond, and Richmond’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Richmond sits
Richmond
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Hurricanes10%Tornadoes3%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $463K a year in losses across Richmond: $402K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Richmond’s 1,407 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hancock town (757 residents) and New Ashford town (250 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Richmond flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2021

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Richmond, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2021
20212026
1
paid claims since 2021
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Berkshire County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Richmond

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

  1. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$13K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$9K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
  5. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
  6. 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
  2. 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Richmond for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RichmondBerkshire County only

Berkshire County has had 17 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 Richmond after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Richmond archive →
Next door

Richmond and its neighbors

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

Lenox: hazard risk AHancock: not gradedLenoxHancockRichmond
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LenoxAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding9
RichmondBless damage than 65%river and rain flooding1
Hancock—752 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Richmond 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 Richmond

Is Richmond at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richmond has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 Richmond flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Richmond since 2021, $4K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Richmond 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 Berkshire County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Richmond?

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

By FEMA money that reached Richmond, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 3 households applied for aid, $2K approved, and $13K to the Town of Richmond for repairs.

Is Richmond at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Richmond’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Richmond.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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