Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Lyme than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lyme gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2000.
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 Lyme 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
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 Lyme’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lyme, and Lyme’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lyme’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $980K a year in losses across Lyme: $837K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lyme flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lyme, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lyme 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lyme
Disasters that paid out in Lyme itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lyme), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$237K to the Town of Lyme for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$8K to the Town of Lyme for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$29K to the Town of Lyme for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$46K to the Town of Lyme for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Lyme for repairs
- 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Lyme for repairs
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.
Old photos of Lyme after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lyme archive →Lyme and its neighbors
Lyme is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Thetford | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Norwich | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lyme | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Orford | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Dorchester | — | 410 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 Lyme 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.
- 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 Lyme
Is Lyme at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lyme has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Lyme flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Lyme since 2000, $302 in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Lyme 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 Lyme?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lyme’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 Lyme?
By FEMA money that reached Lyme, Severe Storms and Flooding (2017): $237K to the Town of Lyme for repairs.
Is Lyme at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Lyme’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lyme.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lyme’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.