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Webster, Massachusetts town hallPhoto: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Webster · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Webster gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #234 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then hurricanes (23%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 69%Hurricanes 23%Earthquakes 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 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#234 of 283 in Massachusetts
Hazard risk
B−#234 of 283
in Massachusetts · lower than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
69% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1979 · $1K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 27 declared for Worcester County
By hazard

What Webster 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

69%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind 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 Webster’s grade

River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Webster, and Webster’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Webster sits
Webster
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #234 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Webster’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding69%Hurricanes23%Earthquakes4%Everything else5%

The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Webster has more expected damage per building than 83% of Massachusetts towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Webster: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Webster covers 4 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 Webster flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Webster, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 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 claims197919801982
19792026
3
paid claims since 1979
$1K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$490
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Webster 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

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Webster

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

  1. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$37K to the Town of Webster for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$39K to the Town of Webster for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$53K to the Town of Webster for repairs
  4. 2011Hurricane Irene$51K to the Town of Webster for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding27 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
  6. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$11K to the Town of Webster for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$40K to the Town of Webster for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$40K to the Town of Webster for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$22K to the Town of Webster for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$34K to the Town of Webster for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WebsterWorcester 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 Webster after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Webster archive →
Next door

Webster and its neighbors

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

Dudley: hazard risk BDouglas: hazard risk A−DudleyDouglasWebster
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DouglasA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding2
DudleyBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding4
WebsterB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding3

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 Webster 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 Webster

Is Webster at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Webster has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #234 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and hurricanes (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Webster flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Webster since 1979, $1K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Webster 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 Webster?

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

By FEMA money that reached Webster, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2013): $53K to the Town of Webster for repairs.

Is Webster at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Webster’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Webster.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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