Storms, floods and disasters in Whitefield
Whitefield isn’t graded for hazard risk: Whitefield has 479 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Whitefield 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
Wildfire
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 Whitefield flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Whitefield. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Whitefield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Haskell County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Whitefield
Disasters that paid out in Whitefield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Whitefield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$7K to the Town of Whitefield for repairs
- 2007Severe Winter Storms$375 to the Town of Whitefield for repairs
Haskell 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.
Old photos of Whitefield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Whitefield archive →Get ready for what Whitefield 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Whitefield
Is Whitefield 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 Haskell County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Whitefield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Whitefield’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 Whitefield?
By FEMA money that reached Whitefield, Severe Winter Storm (2010): $7K to the Town of Whitefield for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Whitefield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Whitefield’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.