Valley Lodge · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Baldwin than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Baldwin gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then hurricanes (21%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Baldwin 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
Ice storms
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.
What’s behind Baldwin’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Baldwin, and Baldwin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 10%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Baldwin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $275K a year in losses across Baldwin: $203K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Baldwin flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Baldwin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Baldwin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cumberland County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Baldwin
Disasters that paid out in Baldwin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Baldwin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$6K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$6K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$8K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$41K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$41K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$198K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
Show all 11
- 2005Record Snow$9K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2005Snow$10K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$9K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
- 2001Snow$8K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs
Cumberland County has had 32 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Baldwin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Baldwin archive →Baldwin and its neighbors
Baldwin is 2nd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebago | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Baldwin | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Standish | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Limington | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Cornish | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hiram | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Steep Falls | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Baldwin 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.
- 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.
- 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 Baldwin
Is Baldwin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Baldwin has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and hurricanes (21%). 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 Baldwin 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 Cumberland County, 1.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Baldwin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Baldwin’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 Baldwin?
By FEMA money that reached Baldwin, Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding (2007): $198K to the Town of Baldwin for repairs.
Is Baldwin at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Baldwin’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Baldwin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Baldwin’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.