Question 1

Which county in Maine has the highest natural disaster risk?

Accepted Answer

York County has the highest natural disaster risk score in Maine at 81.5 (Relatively Moderate), based on FEMA National Risk Index data.

Question 2

Which county in Maine is the safest from natural disasters?

Accepted Answer

Sagadahoc County has the lowest natural disaster risk score in Maine at 23.3 (Very Low), based on FEMA NRI data.

Question 3

What natural disasters are most common in Maine?

Accepted Answer

Maine counties face varying levels of risk from floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The FEMA National Risk Index scores each county across 18 hazard types. See individual county pages for detailed hazard breakdowns.

Question 4

How is natural disaster risk measured by county?

Accepted Answer

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) measures natural disaster risk using expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. Scores are normalized nationally, with ratings from Very Low to Very High across 18 natural hazard types.

County	Risk Score	Rating	Flood	Wildfire	Tornado	Earthquake
York County	81.5	Relatively Moderate	86.6	56.3	46.5	83.8
Aroostook County	80.4	Relatively Low	76.1	26.2	15.7	77.7
Penobscot County	78.0	Relatively Low	83.0	29.3	32.3	79.1
Cumberland County	77.0	Relatively Low	78.4	38.9	25.5	81.1
Kennebec County	75.2	Relatively Low	80.1	33.5	25.9	76.0
Somerset County	67.9	Relatively Low	61.8	22.1	16.3	59.4
Oxford County	65.9	Relatively Low	73.3	27.2	16.7	60.3
Androscoggin County	59.1	Relatively Low	61.6	24.8	19.8	74.9
Hancock County	55.0	Relatively Low	77.0	10.8	15.8	51.2
Piscataquis County	52.4	Relatively Low	35.2	9.2	8.9	40.6
Washington County	47.6	Relatively Low	74.6	21.8	11.0	46.7
Franklin County	43.6	Relatively Low	53.0	16.0	12.4	45.8
Waldo County	40.6	Very Low	58.8	17.6	15.3	42.7
Lincoln County	31.8	Very Low	69.8	18.7	14.9	47.1
Knox County	28.6	Very Low	69.2	16.8	12.8	45.9
Sagadahoc County	23.3	Very Low	74.8	14.3	13.1	47.9

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