Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Smith Mills
Smith Mills isn’t graded for hazard risk: Smith Mills is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1991.
What Smith Mills 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
Earthquakes
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 Smith Mills flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Smith Mills, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Bob5 claims · $59K
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $2K
Smith Mills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bristol County.The storms Smith Mills remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Bristol County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Smith Mills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19915 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Bob, declared for Bristol County
- 20052 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bristol County
- 20101 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Earl, declared for Bristol County
Bristol County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Smith Mills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Smith Mills archive →Smith Mills 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 |
| New Bedford | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
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 Smith Mills 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Smith Mills
Does Smith Mills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Smith Mills since 1991, $93K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Bob (5).
Is Smith Mills 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 Bristol County, 56% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Smith Mills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Smith Mills’ 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 Smith Mills?
By flood claims, Hurricane Bob: 5 paid, $59K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Smith Mills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Smith Mills’ 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.