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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Dedham · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Dedham than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dedham gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.

River and rain flooding 72%Hurricanes 19%Ice storms 5%

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 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Maine · higher than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2023 · $7K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 18 declared for Hancock County
By hazard

What Dedham 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

72%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 3% Winter storms top 1% Earthquakes Hail Tornadoes Lightning Strong wind Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Dedham’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Dedham’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dedham, and Dedham’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dedham sits
Dedham
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Hurricanes19%Ice storms5%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $791K a year in losses across Dedham: $644K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dedham’s 1,648 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Otis town (673 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 Dedham flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dedham, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2023
20232026
1
paid claims since 2023
$7K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hancock County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dedham

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$61K aid approved
  2. 2007Flooding$55K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$31K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
  4. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$2K to the Town of Dedham for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DedhamHancock County only

Hancock County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Dedham archive →
Next door

Dedham and its neighbors

Dedham is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Ellsworth: hazard risk BOtis: not gradedOrland: hazard risk C+Bucksport: hazard risk B−Holden: hazard risk A−Eddington: hazard risk A−EllsworthOtisOrlandBucksportHoldenEddingtonDedham
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HoldenA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding—
EddingtonA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding—
EllsworthBless damage than 59%river and rain flooding3
BucksportB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding2
OrlandC+more damage than 65%river and rain flooding—
DedhamCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding1
Otis—705 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 Dedham 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 Dedham

Is Dedham at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dedham has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (19%). 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 Dedham flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Dedham since 2023, $7K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Dedham 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 Hancock County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dedham?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dedham, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 5 households applied for aid, $61K approved.

Is Dedham at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Dedham’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dedham.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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