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HanoverNHMainStreetPhoto: Ken_Gallager (Uploads) · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hanover · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hanover gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #67 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 89%Hurricanes 5%Earthquakes 4%

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 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#67 of 126 in New Hampshire
Hazard risk
C+#67 of 126
in New Hampshire · higher than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2011 · $22K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
14
of 34 declared for Grafton County
By hazard

What Hanover 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Tornadoes Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Hanover’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hanover, and Hanover’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hanover sits
Hanover
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #67 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Hanover’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Hurricanes5%Earthquakes4%Everything else2%

The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hanover has more expected damage per building than 53% of New Hampshire towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.6M a year in losses across Hanover: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Hanover covers 3 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 Hanover flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hanover, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120162017
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $4K
4
paid claims since 2011
$22K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$6K
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

Hanover 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

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hanover

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  2. 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$48K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$197K to the Town of Hanover for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$128K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  5. 2012Hurricane Sandy$12K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  6. 2011Tropical Storm Irene3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$42K to the Town of Hanover for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $4K
Show all 14
  1. 2010Severe Winter Storm$23K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Winter Storm$45K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$53K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$16K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  5. 2005Record Snow$24K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  6. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$20K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  7. 2003Snow$22K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
  8. 2001Snow$17K to the Town of Hanover for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HanoverGrafton 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 Hanover after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hanover archive →
Next door

Hanover and its neighbors

Hanover has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Norwich: hazard risk CLebanon: hazard risk C−Lyme: hazard risk DCanaan: hazard risk DNorwichLebanonLymeCanaanHanover
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HanoverC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding4
NorwichCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding3
LebanonC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding22
CanaanDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding10
LymeDmore damage than 87%river and rain flooding1

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 Hanover 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 Hanover

Is Hanover at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hanover has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #67 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hanover flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Hanover since 2011, $22K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Hanover 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 Hanover?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hanover, Severe Storms and Flooding (2017): $197K to the Town of Hanover for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $4K.

Is Hanover at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Hanover’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hanover.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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