Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hampstead

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
Hampstead NH Congregational Church ExteriorPhoto: BakedintheHole · CC BY 4.0
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Hampstead · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Hampstead faces less hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hampstead gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #3 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 76%Earthquakes 9%Hurricanes 9%

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

less than 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#3 of 126 in New Hampshire
Hazard risk
A#3 of 126
in New Hampshire · lower than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1996 · $79K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
15
of 29 declared for Rockingham County
By hazard

What Hampstead 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

76%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Tornadoes Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 9% of Hampstead’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (1.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Hampstead’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hampstead, and Hampstead’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hampstead sits
Hampstead
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A #3 of 126 in New Hampshire; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Hampstead’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Earthquakes9%Hurricanes9%Everything else6%

The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hampstead has less expected damage per building than 98% of New Hampshire towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Hampstead: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Hampstead covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Hampstead flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hampstead, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 2 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 4 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620062010
19962026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2010 nor’easter3 claims · $12K
8
paid claims since 1996
$79K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Hampstead 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.
Disasters

15 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hampstead

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

  1. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$44K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$26K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$25K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  4. 2012Hurricane Sandy$5K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  5. 2012Hurricane Sandy$2K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  6. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
Show all 15
  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storm$31K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$77K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$35K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding20 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$15K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2005Record Snow$10K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  7. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$16K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  8. 2003Snow$21K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
  9. 2001Snow$27K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HampsteadRockingham County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hampstead archive →
Next door

Hampstead and its neighbors

Hampstead has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Atkinson: hazard risk A−Sandown: hazard risk BDerry: hazard risk BPlaistow: hazard risk A−Kingston: hazard risk A−Danville: hazard risk A−AtkinsonSandownDerryPlaistowKingstonDanvilleHampstead
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HampsteadAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding8
AtkinsonA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding1
KingstonA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding8
DanvilleA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding1
PlaistowA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding1
SandownBless damage than 59%river and rain flooding1
DerryBless damage than 55%river and rain flooding27

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 Hampstead 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Hampstead

Is Hampstead at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hampstead has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #3 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and earthquakes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hampstead flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Hampstead since 1996, $79K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (3).

Is Hampstead 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 Hampstead?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hampstead, Severe Winter Storm (2008): $77K to the Town of Hampstead for repairs. By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 3 paid, $12K.

Is Hampstead at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Hampstead’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hampstead.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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