Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts East Kingston’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Kingston gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1984.
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 East Kingston 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
Earthquakes
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 East Kingston’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in East Kingston, and East Kingston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of East Kingston’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $504K a year in losses across East Kingston: $416K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does East Kingston flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in East Kingston, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
East Kingston isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rockingham County.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to East Kingston
Disasters that paid out in East Kingston itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of East Kingston), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$16K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$22K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$19K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$24K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$46K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
Show all 12
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$15K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$4K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$8K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2003Snow$9K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
- 2001Snow$12K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs
Rockingham County has had 29 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 East Kingston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the East Kingston archive →East Kingston and its neighbors
East Kingston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Kingston | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Kensington | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| East Kingston | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Exeter | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 72 |
| South Hampton | — | 984 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 East Kingston 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 East Kingston
Is East Kingston at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Kingston has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) 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 East Kingston flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in East Kingston since 1984, $1K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is East Kingston 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 Rockingham County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in East Kingston?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for East Kingston’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 East Kingston?
By FEMA money that reached East Kingston, Severe Winter Storm (2008): $46K to the Town of East Kingston for repairs.
Is East Kingston at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and East Kingston’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East Kingston.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where East Kingston’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.