Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Canaan than in 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canaan gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #119 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1992.
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 Canaan 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 Canaan’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Canaan, and Canaan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #119 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Canaan’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, Canaan has more expected damage per building than 94% of New Hampshire towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Canaan: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Canaan flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canaan, from FEMA’s records: 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene3 claims · $8K
Canaan 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.14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Canaan
Disasters that paid out in Canaan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Canaan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$72K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$177K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$62K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$22K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene11 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$81K to the Town of Canaan for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $8K
Show all 14
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$9K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$48K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$47K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Canaan for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Record Snow$12K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$13K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2003Snow$10K to the Town of Canaan for repairs
- 2001Snow$9K to the Town of Canaan for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
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 Canaan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Canaan archive →Canaan and its neighbors
Canaan is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Enfield | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Canaan | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Grafton | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Dorchester | — | 410 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Orange | — | 320 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Groton | — | 507 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 Canaan 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 Canaan
Is Canaan at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Canaan has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #119 of 126 in New Hampshire. 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 Canaan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Canaan since 1992, $86K in all, or 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).
Is Canaan 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 Canaan?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Canaan’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 Canaan?
By FEMA money that reached Canaan, Severe Storm and Flooding (2019): $177K to the Town of Canaan for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $8K.
Is Canaan at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Canaan’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Canaan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Canaan’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.