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Newport NH 5-22-26aPhoto: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Newport · FEMA

FEMA puts Newport’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #118 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 94%Hurricanes 2%Earthquakes 1%

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 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#118 of 126 in New Hampshire
Hazard risk
D#118 of 126
in New Hampshire · higher than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
94% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 1979 · $850K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
8
of 27 declared for Sullivan County
By hazard

What Newport 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Ice storms Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Newport’s grade

River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newport, and Newport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Newport sits
Newport
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #118 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Newport’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding94%Everything else6%

The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Newport has more expected damage per building than 94% of New Hampshire towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Newport: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Newport covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Newport flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newport, from FEMA’s records: 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 3 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520212023
19792026
9
paid claims since 1979
$850K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$94K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Sullivan County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Newport

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$387K to the Town of Newport for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$120K to the Town of Newport for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$13K to the Town of Newport for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm$50K to the Town of Newport for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$128K to the Town of Newport for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$27K to the Town of Newport for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
  1. 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Newport for repairs
  2. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Newport for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NewportSullivan County only

Sullivan County has had 27 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Newport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Newport archive →
Next door

Newport and its neighbors

Newport is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Croydon: not gradedClaremont: hazard risk CGoshen: not gradedUnity: hazard risk CCroydonClaremontGoshenUnityNewport
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ClaremontCmore damage than 65%river and rain flooding23
UnityCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding—
NewportDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding9
Croydon—798 residents; we grade 1,000+
Goshen—not graded yet

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 Newport 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 ↗
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 Newport

Is Newport at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #118 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Newport flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Newport since 1979, $850K in all, or 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Newport 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 Sullivan County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Newport?

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

By FEMA money that reached Newport, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $387K to the Town of Newport for repairs.

Is Newport at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Newport’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newport.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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