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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Keene · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Keene faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keene gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 92%Earthquakes 4%Hurricanes 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 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in New York · higher than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
32
paid since 1979 · $926K
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 19 declared for Essex County

What stands out about Keene’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way3 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 199612 flood claims were paid for 1996 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Keene 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

92%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Tornadoes Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 16% of Keene’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Keene’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Keene, and Keene’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Keene sits
Keene
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Keene’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Earthquakes4%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Keene: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Keene’s 1,144 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Keene flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Keene, from FEMA’s records: 31.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 12 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 11 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919962011
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene10 claims · $833K
32
paid claims since 1979
$926K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$29K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Essex County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Keene

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

  1. 2024Severe Storm, Tornadoes, and Flooding$29K to the Town of Keene for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$160K to the Town of Keene for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Town of Keene for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$26K to the Town of Keene for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2011Hurricane Irene48 households applied for aid$184K aid approved$594K to the Town of Keene for repairs10 flood claims paid for it, $833K
  6. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$58K to the Town of Keene for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KeeneEssex County only

Essex County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Keene archive →
Next door

Keene and its neighbors

Keene is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

North Hudson: not gradedElizabethtown: hazard risk CNorth Elba: hazard risk B+Jay: hazard risk C−Newcomb: not gradedWilmington: hazard risk CNorth HudsonElizabethtownNorth ElbaJayNewcombWilmingtonKeene
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
North ElbaB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding13
KeeneC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding32
WilmingtonCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding3
ElizabethtownCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding26
JayC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding166
North Hudson—208 residents; we grade 1,000+
Newcomb—490 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Keene 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 Keene

Is Keene at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keene has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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 Keene flood?

Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Keene since 1979, $926K in all, or 31.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (10).

Is Keene 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 Essex County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Keene?

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

By FEMA money that reached Keene, Hurricane Irene (2011): 48 households applied for aid, $184K approved, and $594K to the Town of Keene for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 10 paid, $833K.

Is Keene at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Keene’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Keene.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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