Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Chesterfield

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
ChesterfieldNH TownHallAndHistoricalSocietyPhoto: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Chesterfield · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Chesterfield as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesterfield gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #46 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 85%Hurricanes 6%Tornadoes 3%

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

more than 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#46 of 126 in New Hampshire
Hazard risk
B−#46 of 126
in New Hampshire · higher than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
85% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1993 · $34K
Disasters paid out here
12
of 27 declared for Cheshire County
By hazard

What Chesterfield 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

85%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 16 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Landslides top 3% Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Chesterfield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chesterfield, and Chesterfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Chesterfield sits
Chesterfield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #46 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Chesterfield’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding85%Hurricanes6%Tornadoes3%Everything else5%

The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Chesterfield has less expected damage per building than 64% of New Hampshire towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $999K a year in losses across Chesterfield: $799K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Chesterfield’s 3,552 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Westmoreland town (1,706 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Chesterfield flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chesterfield, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199319962005
19932026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $2K
6
paid claims since 1993
$34K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Chesterfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cheshire County.
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chesterfield

Disasters that paid out in Chesterfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Chesterfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene$2K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$61K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$169K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  5. 2005Record Snow$12K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  6. 2005Record Snow$13K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$14K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$12K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$115K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
  6. 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$22K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChesterfieldCheshire County only

Cheshire County has had 27 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Cheshire County, 2016–2016.

Were you here?

Old photos of Chesterfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Chesterfield archive →
Next door

Chesterfield and its neighbors

Chesterfield is 3rd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Brattleboro: hazard risk B−Dummerston: hazard risk B−Westmoreland: hazard risk B−Swanzey: hazard risk C−Hinsdale: hazard risk CBrattleboroDummerstonWestmorelandSwanzeyHinsdaleChesterfield
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BrattleboroB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding50
WestmorelandB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding2
ChesterfieldB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding6
DummerstonB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding—
HinsdaleCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding1
SwanzeyC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Chesterfield faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Chesterfield

Is Chesterfield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesterfield has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #46 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Chesterfield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Chesterfield since 1993, $34K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Chesterfield 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 Cheshire County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Chesterfield?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chesterfield’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 Chesterfield?

By FEMA money that reached Chesterfield, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): 1 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $169K to the Town of Chesterfield for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $2K.

Is Chesterfield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Chesterfield’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chesterfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chesterfield’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.