Whittier Bridge · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Ossipee’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ossipee gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #104 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then hurricanes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 84 claims here since 1979.
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 Ossipee 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 Ossipee’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ossipee, and Ossipee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #104 of 126 in New Hampshire; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ossipee’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New Hampshire town has higher expected damage than 58% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ossipee has more expected damage per building than 82% of New Hampshire towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Ossipee: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ossipee flood? Sometimes: 84 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ossipee, from FEMA’s records: 30.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ossipee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Carroll County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ossipee
Disasters that paid out in Ossipee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ossipee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$228K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$374K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs
- 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$479K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$34K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$25K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornado, and Flooding$55K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs
Show all 11
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$584K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$757 aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Record Snow$12K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Snow$13K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Carroll County has had 28 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 Ossipee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ossipee archive →Ossipee and its neighbors
Ossipee is 7th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfeboro | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Tuftonboro | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Moultonborough | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Wakefield | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Freedom | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Tamworth | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Ossipee | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 84 |
| Effingham | Dmore damage than 85% | 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 Ossipee 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 Ossipee
Is Ossipee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ossipee has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #104 of 126 in New Hampshire. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ossipee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 84 claims in Ossipee since 1979, $616K in all, or 30.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Ossipee 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 Carroll County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ossipee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ossipee’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 Ossipee?
By FEMA money that reached Ossipee, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): $584K to the Town of Ossipee for repairs.
Is Ossipee at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Ossipee’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ossipee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ossipee’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.