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EllsworthNH TownHallPhoto: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Ellsworth · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Ellsworth

Ellsworth isn’t graded for hazard risk: Ellsworth has 51 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 34 declared for Grafton County
By hazard

What Ellsworth 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

93%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Tornadoes Strong wind 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Ellsworth flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ellsworth. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Ellsworth 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.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ellsworth

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$11K to the Town of Ellsworth for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$2K to the Town of Ellsworth for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$31K to the Town of Ellsworth for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$13K to the Town of Ellsworth for repairs
  5. 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$799 to the Town of Ellsworth for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EllsworthGrafton County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ellsworth archive →
Next door

Ellsworth and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Rumney: hazard risk DCampton: hazard risk DWarren: not gradedWentworth: not gradedRumneyCamptonWarrenWentworthEllsworth
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RumneyDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
CamptonDmore damage than 91%river and rain flooding26
Warren—942 residents; we grade 1,000+
Wentworth—not graded yet

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 Ellsworth 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 ↗
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 Ellsworth

Is Ellsworth 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 Ellsworth?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ellsworth, Severe Storms and Flooding (2017): $31K to the Town of Ellsworth for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ellsworth.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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