Photo: Whitehouse27 · CC BY-SA 4.0For coastal flooding, Boothbay Harbor’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boothbay Harbor gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (32%), then coastal flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Boothbay Harbor’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Boothbay Harbor faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
River and rain flooding
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 Boothbay Harbor’s grade
Hurricanes are 32% of the building damage FEMA expects in Boothbay Harbor, and Boothbay Harbor’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 31%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Boothbay Harbor’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Boothbay Harbor: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Boothbay Harbor flood? Sometimes: 28 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Boothbay Harbor, from FEMA’s records: 12.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Boothbay Harbor isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lincoln County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Boothbay Harbor
Disasters that paid out in Boothbay Harbor itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Boothbay Harbor), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$31K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$5K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$13K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$46K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding19 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$54K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$6K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs
Show all 7
- 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs
Lincoln County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Boothbay Harbor after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Boothbay Harbor archive →Boothbay Harbor and its neighbors
Boothbay Harbor is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boothbay | B+less damage than 71% | hurricanes | 20 |
| Boothbay Harbor | B−less damage than 55% | hurricanes | 28 |
| Southport | — | 550 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Westport Island | — | 835 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.
Get ready for what Boothbay Harbor faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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 Boothbay Harbor
Is Boothbay Harbor at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boothbay Harbor has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (32%) and coastal flooding (31%). 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 Boothbay Harbor flood?
Flood insurance has paid 28 claims in Boothbay Harbor since 1978, $1.6M in all, or 12.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Boothbay Harbor 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 Lincoln County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Boothbay Harbor?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Boothbay Harbor’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 Boothbay Harbor?
By FEMA money that reached Boothbay Harbor, Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding (2007): 19 households applied for aid, $4K approved, and $54K to the Town of Boothbay Harbor for repairs.
Is Boothbay Harbor at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (32%), and Boothbay Harbor’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Boothbay Harbor.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Boothbay Harbor’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.