Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Bath’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bath gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1981.
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 Bath 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
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 Bath’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bath, and Bath’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bath’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $601K a year in losses across Bath: $502K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bath flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bath, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $21K
Bath isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grafton County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bath
Disasters that paid out in Bath itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bath), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Bath for repairs
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$84K to the Town of Bath for repairs
- 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$27K to the Town of Bath for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Bath for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$3K to the Town of Bath for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$2K to the Town of Bath for repairs
Show all 7
- 2003Snow$2K to the Town of Bath for repairs
Grafton County has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bath after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bath archive →Bath and its neighbors
Bath is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryegate | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Newbury | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Haverhill | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Bath | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Monroe | — | 786 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Woodsville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Landaff | — | 420 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Wells River | — | 340 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lyman | — | 464 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.
Get ready for what Bath 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.
- 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 Bath
Is Bath at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bath has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Bath flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Bath since 1981, $72K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Bath 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 Grafton County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bath?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bath’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 Bath?
By FEMA money that reached Bath, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $84K to the Town of Bath for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $21K.
Is Bath at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Bath’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bath.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bath’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.