Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Jefferson faces more hazard damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jefferson, and Jefferson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Jefferson’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Jefferson: $958K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jefferson flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Jefferson. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Jefferson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Coos County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jefferson
Disasters that paid out in Jefferson itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Jefferson), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storm and Flooding$96K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$8K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$37K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$2K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
- 2003Snow$3K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
Show all 7
- 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs
Coos County has had 22 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.
Old photos of Jefferson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jefferson archive →Jefferson and its neighbors
Jefferson is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitefield | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Jefferson | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Lancaster | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Carroll | — | 659 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Randolph | — | 420 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.
Get ready for what Jefferson 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 Jefferson
Is Jefferson at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and hurricanes (7%). 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 Jefferson 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 Coos County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Jefferson?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jefferson’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 Jefferson?
By FEMA money that reached Jefferson, Severe Storm and Flooding (2024): $96K to the Town of Jefferson for repairs.
Is Jefferson at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Jefferson’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jefferson.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jefferson’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.