Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Bethlehem’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethlehem gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #90 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethlehem, and Bethlehem’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
C #90 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bethlehem’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bethlehem has more expected damage per building than 71% of New Hampshire towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Bethlehem: $976K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethlehem flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bethlehem. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bethlehem 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bethlehem
Disasters that paid out in Bethlehem itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bethlehem), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$35K to the Town of Bethlehem for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Bethlehem for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$20K to the Town of Bethlehem for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$14K to the Town of Bethlehem for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$8K to the Town of Bethlehem for repairs
- 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bethlehem archive →Bethlehem and its neighbors
Bethlehem is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franconia | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Bethlehem | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Whitefield | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Littleton | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Carroll | — | 659 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Sugar Hill | — | 658 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hart's Location | — | 49 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 Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem
Is Bethlehem at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethlehem has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #90 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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.
Is Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethlehem’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 Bethlehem?
By FEMA money that reached Bethlehem, Severe Storms and Flooding (2017): $35K to the Town of Bethlehem for repairs.
Is Bethlehem at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Bethlehem’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethlehem.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethlehem’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.