Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Bridgewater’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgewater gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1986.
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 Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bridgewater, and Bridgewater’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bridgewater’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $770K a year in losses across Bridgewater: $675K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bridgewater flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bridgewater, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bridgewater 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bridgewater
Disasters that paid out in Bridgewater itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bridgewater), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$7K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$6K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs
- 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs
- 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bridgewater archive →Bridgewater and its neighbors
Bridgewater is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampton | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Plymouth | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Bristol | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Bridgewater | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Ashland | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater
Is Bridgewater at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgewater has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. 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.
Does Bridgewater flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Bridgewater since 1986, $18K in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bridgewater’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 Bridgewater?
By FEMA money that reached Bridgewater, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): $9K to the Town of Bridgewater for repairs.
Is Bridgewater at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Bridgewater’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bridgewater.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bridgewater’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.