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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Appleton · FEMA

FEMA puts Appleton’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 65% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Appleton gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then hurricanes (38%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 45%Hurricanes 38%Ice storms 11%

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 65%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 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
45% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 25 declared for Knox County

What stands out about Appleton’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.8% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Appleton 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

45%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hurricanes

38%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Ice storms

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms top 2% Hail Landslides top 2% Tornadoes Lightning Strong wind Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Appleton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Appleton, and Appleton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Appleton sits
Appleton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding45%Hurricanes38%Ice storms11%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $407K a year in losses across Appleton: $313K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Appleton’s 1,411 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hope town (1,698 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 Appleton flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Appleton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Knox County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Appleton

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$72K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$51K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$17K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$11K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$1K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  2. 2007Flooding$53K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$10K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
  4. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$2K to the Town of Appleton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AppletonKnox County only

Knox 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 Appleton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Appleton archive →
Next door

Appleton and its neighbors

Appleton is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hope: hazard risk B+Searsmont: hazard risk B−Union: hazard risk BLiberty: not gradedHopeSearsmontUnionLibertyAppleton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HopeB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding—
AppletonB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding0
UnionBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding3
SearsmontB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding3
Liberty—969 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 Appleton 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 Appleton

Is Appleton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Appleton has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and hurricanes (38%). 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.

Is Appleton 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 Knox County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Appleton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Appleton, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $72K to the Town of Appleton for repairs.

Is Appleton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Appleton’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Appleton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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