Photo: TrustTruth at en.wikipedia · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Jaffrey as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jaffrey gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #54 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Jaffrey 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
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Jaffrey’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jaffrey, and Jaffrey’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #54 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jaffrey’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Jaffrey has less expected damage per building than 58% of New Hampshire towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Jaffrey: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jaffrey flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Jaffrey. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Jaffrey isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cheshire County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jaffrey
Disasters that paid out in Jaffrey itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Jaffrey), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$1.5M to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$28K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$2K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$192K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2005Record Snow$12K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
Show all 11
- 2005Record Snow$15K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$14K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2003Snow$13K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2003Snow$14K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
- 2001Snow$10K to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs
Cheshire County has had 27 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Cheshire County, 2016–2016.
Old photos of Jaffrey after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jaffrey archive →Jaffrey and its neighbors
Jaffrey is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rindge | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Dublin | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fitzwilliam | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Jaffrey | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Troy | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Marlborough | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
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.
Get ready for what Jaffrey faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Jaffrey
Is Jaffrey at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jaffrey has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #54 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) 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.
Is Jaffrey 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 Cheshire County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Jaffrey?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jaffrey’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 Jaffrey?
By FEMA money that reached Jaffrey, Severe Storm and Flooding (2021): $1.5M to the Town of Jaffrey for repairs.
Is Jaffrey at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Jaffrey’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jaffrey.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jaffrey’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.