Azure Mountain Fire Observation Station · Photo: Mwanner · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Waverly
Waverly isn’t graded for hazard risk: Waverly has 794 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2006.
What Waverly 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
Earthquakes
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 Waverly flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Waverly, from FEMA’s records.
Waverly isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waverly
Disasters that paid out in Waverly itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Waverly), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$30K to the Town of Waverly for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Waverly for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$29K to the Town of Waverly for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$139K to the Town of Waverly for repairs
Franklin County has had 14 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.
Old photos of Waverly after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Waverly archive →Waverly 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopkinton | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Tupper Lake | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Santa Clara | — | 511 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dickinson | — | 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.
Get ready for what Waverly 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Waverly
Does Waverly flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Waverly since 2006, $113K in all.
Is Waverly 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 Franklin County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Waverly?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Waverly’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 Waverly?
By FEMA money that reached Waverly, Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds (2011): $139K to the Town of Waverly for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waverly.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Waverly’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.