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Whiteface (1)Photo: Theedster123 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Wilmington · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Wilmington than in 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilmington gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1992.

River and rain flooding 92%Earthquakes 5%Strong wind 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 67%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 67% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1992 · $17K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 19 declared for Essex County
By hazard

What Wilmington 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
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hurricanes Ice storms Tornadoes Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Hail 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 24% of Wilmington’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 Wilmington’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wilmington, and Wilmington’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wilmington sits
Wilmington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Earthquakes5%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $821K a year in losses across Wilmington: $532K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Wilmington’s 1,139 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with St. Armand town (1,446 residents) and Wilmington CDP (843 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Wilmington flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1992

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wilmington, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 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: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199219962011
19922026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $13K
3
paid claims since 1992
$17K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Wilmington 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.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wilmington

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

  1. 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene14 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$56K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $13K
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$177K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WilmingtonEssex 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 Wilmington after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Wilmington archive →
Next door

Wilmington and its neighbors

Wilmington is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Jay: hazard risk C−Black Brook: hazard risk CSt. Armand: hazard risk CNorth Elba: hazard risk B+Keene: hazard risk C+JayBlack BrookSt. ArmandNorth ElbaKeeneWilmington
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
St. ArmandCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding—
WilmingtonCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding3
Black BrookCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding19
JayC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding166

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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington

Is Wilmington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilmington has higher expected damage per building than 67% 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 Wilmington flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Wilmington since 1992, $17K in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Wilmington 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 Wilmington?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wilmington, Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds (2011): $177K to the Town of Wilmington for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $13K.

Is Wilmington at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Wilmington’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wilmington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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