Fort Constitution · Photo: AlexiusHoratius · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in New Castle
New Castle isn’t graded for hazard risk: New Castle has 827 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1978.
What New Castle 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
Coastal flooding
Earthquakes
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.
Does New Castle flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in New Castle, from FEMA’s records.
- The “Halloween” storm1 claim · $5K
New Castle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rockingham County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Castle
Disasters that paid out in New Castle itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of New Castle), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding$538K to the Town of New Castle for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Town of New Castle for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Rockingham County has had 29 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.
Old photos of New Castle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Castle archive →New Castle and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Kittery | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Rye | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 215 |
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 New Castle 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 New Castle
Does New Castle flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in New Castle since 1978, $233K in all. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from The "Halloween" Storm (1).
Is New Castle 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 Rockingham County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in New Castle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Castle’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 New Castle?
By FEMA money that reached New Castle, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): $538K to the Town of New Castle for repairs. By flood claims, The "Halloween" Storm: 1 paid, $5K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Castle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Castle’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.