Photo: Riverbend Trail · CC BY-SA 4.0For coastal flooding, West Newbury’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Newbury gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #233 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then coastal flooding (25%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1987.
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
What West Newbury 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
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind West Newbury’s grade
River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Newbury, and West Newbury’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 25%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #233 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of West Newbury’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, West Newbury has more expected damage per building than 82% of Massachusetts towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across West Newbury: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does West Newbury flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in West Newbury, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
West Newbury isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Essex County.15 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West Newbury
Disasters that paid out in West Newbury itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of West Newbury), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$113K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$31K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$48K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$44K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$11K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$28K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
Show all 15
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding24 households applied for aid$55K aid approved$56K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$75K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$16K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding14 households applied for aid$28K aid approved$56K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$27K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Flooding7 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2003Snow$31K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2003Snow$16K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
- 2001Snow$22K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs
Essex County has had 32 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 West Newbury after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the West Newbury archive →West Newbury and its neighbors
West Newbury is 4th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimac | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Groveland | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Newburyport | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 226 |
| West Newbury | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Newbury | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 199 |
| Amesbury | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Haverhill | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 79 |
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 West Newbury 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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 West Newbury
Is West Newbury at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Newbury has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #233 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and coastal flooding (25%). 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 West Newbury flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in West Newbury since 1987, $103K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is West Newbury 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 Essex County, 58% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in West Newbury?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Newbury’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 West Newbury?
By FEMA money that reached West Newbury, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2018): $113K to the Town of West Newbury for repairs.
Is West Newbury at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and West Newbury’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Newbury.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West Newbury’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.