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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Henniker · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Henniker than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Henniker gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #73 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 80%Hurricanes 11%Earthquakes 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 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#73 of 126 in New Hampshire
Hazard risk
C+#73 of 126
in New Hampshire · higher than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1987 · $890
Disasters paid out here
10
of 24 declared for Merrimack County
By hazard

What Henniker 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

80%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Tornadoes Lightning top 1% Strong wind Winter storms Landslides 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 Henniker’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Henniker, and Henniker’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Henniker sits
Henniker
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #73 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Hurricanes11%Everything else9%

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

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Henniker: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Henniker’s 6,185 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Henniker CDP (3,166 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 Henniker flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Henniker, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 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 claims1987
19872026
1
paid claims since 1987
$890
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$890
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Merrimack County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Henniker

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

  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$31K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$154K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm$23K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$13K aid approved$111K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  5. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding14 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$80K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$28K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$14K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$17K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$12K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
  4. 2001Snow$13K to the Town of Henniker for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HennikerMerrimack County only

Merrimack County has had 24 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 Henniker after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Henniker archive →
Next door

Henniker and its neighbors

Henniker has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hillsborough: hazard risk CHopkinton: hazard risk CWeare: hazard risk CHillsboroughHopkintonWeareHenniker
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HennikerC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding1
WeareCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding7
HillsboroughCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding30
HopkintonCmore damage than 75%river and rain flooding3

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 Henniker 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 Henniker

Is Henniker at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Henniker has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #73 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 Henniker flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Henniker since 1987, $890 in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Henniker 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 Merrimack County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Henniker?

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

By FEMA money that reached Henniker, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): $154K to the Town of Henniker for repairs.

Is Henniker at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Henniker’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Henniker.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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