Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Guildhall
Guildhall isn’t graded for hazard risk: Guildhall has 371 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Guildhall 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.
Does Guildhall flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Guildhall. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Guildhall 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Guildhall
Disasters that paid out in Guildhall itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Guildhall), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$39K to the Town of Guildhall for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Town of Guildhall for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$318K to the Town of Guildhall for repairs
Essex County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Guildhall after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Guildhall archive →Guildhall 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunenburg | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lancaster | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Northumberland | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Maidstone | — | 241 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Granby | — | 67 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.
Get ready for what Guildhall 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 Guildhall
Is Guildhall 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, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Guildhall?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Guildhall’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 Guildhall?
By FEMA money that reached Guildhall, Severe Storms and Flooding (2002): $318K to the Town of Guildhall for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Guildhall.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Guildhall’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.