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Williamsburg General Store, Williamsburg MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Williamsburg · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Williamsburg than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williamsburg gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1999.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 8%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

more than 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Massachusetts · higher than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 1999 · $58K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
10
of 17 declared for Hampshire County
By hazard

What Williamsburg 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

86%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Winter storms Landslides top 4% 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 Williamsburg’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Williamsburg, and Williamsburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Williamsburg sits
Williamsburg
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes8%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $780K a year in losses across Williamsburg: $692K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Williamsburg’s 2,504 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Chesterfield town (1,186 residents) and Goshen town (960 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 Williamsburg flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Williamsburg, from FEMA’s records: 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 4 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 claims199920072011
19992026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene4 claims · $42K
  • Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $9K
  • The April 2007 nor’easter1 claim · $3K
7
paid claims since 1999
$58K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Williamsburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Hampshire County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Williamsburg

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

  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$10K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$22K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$105K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $42K
  4. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$11K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$56K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$45K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 10
  1. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$12K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WilliamsburgHampshire County only

Hampshire County has had 17 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 Williamsburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Williamsburg archive →
Next door

Williamsburg and its neighbors

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

Whately: hazard risk C+Goshen: not gradedHatfield: hazard risk C+Chesterfield: hazard risk C+WhatelyGoshenHatfieldChesterfieldWilliamsburg
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HatfieldC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding3
WhatelyC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding3
ChesterfieldC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding2
WilliamsburgC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding7
Goshen—915 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg

Is Williamsburg at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williamsburg has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Williamsburg flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Williamsburg since 1999, $58K in all, or 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (4).

Is Williamsburg 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 Hampshire County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Williamsburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Williamsburg, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): $105K to the Town of Williamsburg for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 4 paid, $42K.

Is Williamsburg at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Williamsburg’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Williamsburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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