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Rockland Union StreetPhoto: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domain
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Rockland · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Rockland than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rockland gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #70 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 76%Hurricanes 13%Earthquakes 7%

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 87%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#70 of 283 in Massachusetts
Hazard risk
A#70 of 283
in Massachusetts · lower than 87% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1996 · $33K
Disasters paid out here
11
of 25 declared for Plymouth County
By hazard

What Rockland 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

76%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Rockland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rockland, and Rockland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rockland sits
Rockland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #70 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Rockland’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Hurricanes13%Earthquakes7%Everything else4%

The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rockland has less expected damage per building than 76% of Massachusetts towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Rockland: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Rockland covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Rockland flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rockland, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620052010
19962026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2010 nor’easter2 claims · $19K
6
paid claims since 1996
$33K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Plymouth County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rockland

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

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$198K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
  2. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$36K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
  3. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$410K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$12K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
  5. 2012Hurricane Sandy$6K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
  6. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$21K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding180 households applied for aid$280K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  3. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$83K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$71K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$69K to the Town of Rockland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RocklandPlymouth County only

Plymouth County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Rockland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rockland archive →
Next door

Rockland and its neighbors

Rockland is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hanover: hazard risk AAbington: hazard risk A−Norwell: hazard risk AHanoverAbingtonNorwellRockland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HanoverAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding10
RocklandAless damage than 87%river and rain flooding6
NorwellAless damage than 85%river and rain flooding11
AbingtonA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding10

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 Rockland 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Rockland

Is Rockland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rockland has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #70 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Rockland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Rockland since 1996, $33K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (2).

Is Rockland 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 Plymouth County, 52% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rockland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rockland, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2015): $410K to the Town of Rockland for repairs. By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 2 paid, $19K.

Is Rockland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Rockland’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rockland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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