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Old Town Hall, Wales MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Wales · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Wales as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wales gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 77%Hurricanes 16%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 56%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 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2005 · $19K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 18 declared for Hampden County
By hazard

What Wales 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

77%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Wildfire Winter storms Lightning 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 Wales’ grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wales, and Wales’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wales sits
Wales
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Hurricanes16%Tornadoes3%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $366K a year in losses across Wales: $318K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Wales’ 1,832 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Holland town (2,603 residents) and Holland CDP (1,551 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 Wales flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wales, from FEMA’s records: 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520092011
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $9K
4
paid claims since 2005
$19K
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

Wales 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.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wales

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

  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$14K to the Town of Wales for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$200K to the Town of Wales for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$9K to the Town of Wales for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $9K
  4. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Wales for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$16K to the Town of Wales for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$12K to the Town of Wales for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$8K to the Town of Wales for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Wales for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$3K to the Town of Wales for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WalesHampden County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Wales archive →
Next door

Wales and its neighbors

Wales is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Holland: hazard risk BBrimfield: hazard risk B+Monson: hazard risk B−HollandBrimfieldMonsonWales
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BrimfieldB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding4
HollandBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding4
WalesBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding4
MonsonB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding4

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 Wales 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 Wales

Is Wales at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wales has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (16%). 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 Wales flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Wales since 2005, $19K in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Wales 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 Wales?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wales, Severe Storm and Snowstorm (2011): $200K to the Town of Wales for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $9K.

Is Wales at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Wales’ rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wales.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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