Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Bradford’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, Bradford 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 (87%). Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1979.
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 Bradford 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
Hurricanes
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 Bradford’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bradford, and Bradford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate 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 Bradford’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $890K a year in losses across Bradford: $810K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bradford flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bradford, from FEMA’s records: 21.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bradford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Merrimack County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bradford
Disasters that paid out in Bradford itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bradford), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$103K to the Town of Bradford for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$29K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$20K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$96K to the Town of Bradford for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$11K to the Town of Bradford for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
Show all 11
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$365K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
- 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
- 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
- 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Bradford for repairs
Merrimack County has had 24 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.
Old photos of Bradford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bradford archive →Bradford and its neighbors
Bradford is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newbury | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Washington | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Hillsborough | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Warner | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Bradford | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
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 Bradford 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bradford
Is Bradford at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bradford 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 (87%) and hurricanes (7%). 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 Bradford flood?
Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Bradford since 1979, $293K in all, or 21.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Bradford 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 Merrimack County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bradford?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bradford’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 Bradford?
By FEMA money that reached Bradford, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): 8 households applied for aid, $8K approved, and $365K to the Town of Bradford for repairs.
Is Bradford at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Bradford’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bradford.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bradford’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.