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January 16 2010 anson maine 477Photo: Cinclemflt · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Anson · FEMA

For ice storms, Anson’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Anson gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then hurricanes (28%). Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 62%Hurricanes 28%Ice storms 5%

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

less than 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Maine · lower than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
21
paid since 1979 · $587K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
13
of 25 declared for Somerset County
By hazard

What Anson 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

62%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Ice storms

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire Strong wind Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 29% of Anson’s expected losses. Cold waves 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 Anson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Anson, and Anson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Anson sits
Anson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Hurricanes28%Ice storms5%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Anson: $615K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Anson’s 2,291 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Anson CDP (680 residents) and North Anson CDP (459 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 Anson flood? Sometimes: 21 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Anson, from FEMA’s records: 17.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 11 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 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: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 4 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919872023
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The December nor’easter4 claims · $411K
21
paid claims since 1979
$587K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Anson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Somerset County.
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Anson

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding28 households applied for aid$115K aid approved$173K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$146K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  3. 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$324K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  4. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$9K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$18K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$7K to the Town of Anson for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2005Snow$14K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$12K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$5K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$14K to the Town of Anson for repairs
  7. 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$18K to the Town of Anson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AnsonSomerset County only

Somerset County has had 25 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Anson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Anson archive →
Next door

Anson and its neighbors

Anson is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Madison: hazard risk B+Embden: not gradedNew Portland: not gradedIndustry: not gradedNew Vineyard: not gradedStarks: not gradedMadisonEmbdenNew PortlandIndustryNew VineyardStarksAnson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MadisonB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding4
AnsonB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding21
Embden—995 residents; we grade 1,000+
New Portland—686 residents; we grade 1,000+
Industry—988 residents; we grade 1,000+
New Vineyard—607 residents; we grade 1,000+
Starks—556 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Anson 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Ice storms
  • 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.
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 Anson

Is Anson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Anson has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and hurricanes (28%). 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 Anson flood?

Flood insurance has paid 21 claims in Anson since 1979, $587K in all, or 17.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from December Nor'easter (4).

Is Anson 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 Somerset County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Anson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Anson, Severe Storm and Flooding (2022): $324K to the Town of Anson for repairs. By flood claims, December Nor'easter: 4 paid, $411K.

Is Anson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Anson’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Anson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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