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Covered Bridge Jackson NHPhoto: User:Accurizer · Public domain
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Jackson · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Jackson than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jackson gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 90%Hurricanes 8%

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 90%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in New Hampshire · higher than 90% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2011 · $8K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 28 declared for Carroll County
By hazard

What Jackson 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

90%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Landslides top 2% Tornadoes Strong wind Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Jackson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jackson, and Jackson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Jackson sits
Jackson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Hurricanes8%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Jackson: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Jackson’s 1,028 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hart's Location town (68 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 Jackson flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jackson, 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
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 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 claims20112013
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
2
paid claims since 2011
$8K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Carroll County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jackson

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$62K to the Town of Jackson for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$11K to the Town of Jackson for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene9 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$72K to the Town of Jackson for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$60K to the Town of Jackson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JacksonCarroll County only

Carroll County has had 28 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 Jackson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Jackson archive →
Next door

Jackson and its neighbors

Jackson is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bartlett: hazard risk DChatham: not gradedBartlettChathamJackson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BartlettDmore damage than 87%river and rain flooding41
JacksonDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding2
Chatham—430 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Jackson 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 Jackson

Is Jackson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jackson has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 Jackson flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Jackson since 2011, $8K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Jackson 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 Carroll County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Jackson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Jackson, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 9 households applied for aid, $9K approved, and $72K to the Town of Jackson for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $5K.

Is Jackson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Jackson’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jackson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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