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Corners Grocery, Worthington MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Worthington · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Worthington gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 9%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 60%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 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2005 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 17 declared for Hampshire County
By hazard

What Worthington 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 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%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 Worthington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Worthington, and Worthington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Worthington sits
Worthington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes9%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $473K a year in losses across Worthington: $424K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Worthington’s 1,193 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Cummington town (829 residents) and Plainfield town (633 residents) and Middlefield town (385 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 Worthington flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Worthington, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 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 claims2005
20052026
1
paid claims since 2005
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Worthington 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 Worthington

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

  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$16K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$74K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$113K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$13K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$32K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$10K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$12K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$9K to the Town of Worthington for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WorthingtonHampshire 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 Worthington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Worthington archive →
Next door

Worthington and its neighbors

Worthington has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Middlefield: not gradedChesterfield: hazard risk C+Chester: hazard risk C−Peru: not gradedCummington: not gradedHuntington: hazard risk DMiddlefieldChesterfieldChesterPeruCummingtonHuntingtonWorthington
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WorthingtonC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding1
ChesterfieldC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding2
ChesterC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding9
HuntingtonDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding10
Middlefield—352 residents; we grade 1,000+
Peru—630 residents; we grade 1,000+
Cummington—902 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 Worthington 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 Worthington

Is Worthington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Worthington has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Worthington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Worthington since 2005, $4K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Worthington 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 Worthington?

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

By FEMA money that reached Worthington, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2008): $113K to the Town of Worthington for repairs.

Is Worthington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Worthington’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Worthington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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