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Templeton First Church of Christ, Templeton MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Templeton · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Templeton faces less hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Templeton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #109 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 68%Hurricanes 20%Tornadoes 4%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#109 of 283 in Massachusetts
Hazard risk
A−#109 of 283
in Massachusetts · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
11
of 27 declared for Worcester County
By hazard

What Templeton 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

68%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Landslides Lightning Hail 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 Templeton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Templeton, and Templeton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Templeton sits
Templeton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #109 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Templeton’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Hurricanes20%Tornadoes4%Everything else7%

The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Templeton has less expected damage per building than 62% of Massachusetts towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Templeton: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Templeton covers 2 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 Templeton flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Templeton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Templeton 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.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Templeton

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

  1. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$29K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$31K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$27K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
  4. 2011Hurricane Irene$7K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  6. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$715K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$21K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$21K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$14K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$18K to the Town of Templeton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TempletonWorcester County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Templeton archive →
Next door

Templeton and its neighbors

Templeton is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Phillipston: hazard risk A−Gardner: hazard risk A−Winchendon: hazard risk BRoyalston: hazard risk C+PhillipstonGardnerWinchendonRoyalstonTempleton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GardnerA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding—
TempletonA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding0
PhillipstonA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding—
WinchendonBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding1
RoyalstonC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding—

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 Templeton 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 Templeton

Is Templeton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Templeton has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #109 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Templeton 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 Templeton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Templeton, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2008): $715K to the Town of Templeton for repairs.

Is Templeton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Templeton’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Templeton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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