Devil's Den State Park Historic District · Photo: jaystout · CC BY 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Winslow
Winslow isn’t graded for hazard risk: Winslow has 291 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Winslow 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
Ice storms
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 Winslow flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Winslow. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Winslow isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Winslow
Disasters that paid out in Winslow itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Winslow), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$106K to the City of Winslow for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding75 households applied for aid$115K aid approved$41K to the City of Winslow for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm$6K to the City of Winslow for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding28 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2004Sever Storms, Flooding and Landslides$22K to the City of Winslow for repairs
Washington County has had 15 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 Winslow after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Winslow archive →Get ready for what Winslow 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 Winslow
Is Winslow 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 Washington County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Winslow?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winslow’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 Winslow?
By FEMA money that reached Winslow, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding (2011): 75 households applied for aid, $115K approved, and $41K to the City of Winslow for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winslow.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winslow’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.