Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0For ice storms, Brewer’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brewer gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #109 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (13%). 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 Brewer 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 Brewer’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brewer, and Brewer’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 7%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #109 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brewer’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Maine town has lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brewer has more expected damage per building than 76% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Brewer: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brewer flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brewer. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Brewer isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Penobscot County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brewer
Disasters that paid out in Brewer itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Brewer), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$150K to the City of Brewer for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$92K to the City of Brewer for repairs
- 2005Snow$19K to the City of Brewer for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$30K to the City of Brewer for repairs
- 2003Snow$12K to the City of Brewer for repairs
- 2003Snow$14K to the City of Brewer for repairs
Show all 8
- 2002Severe Winter Cold and Frost$29K to the City of Brewer for repairs
- 2001Snow$10K to the City of Brewer for repairs
Penobscot County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Brewer after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brewer archive →Brewer and its neighbors
Brewer is 7th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holden | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Eddington | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Orrington | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bangor | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Hampden | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Veazie | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brewer | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Brewer 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 Brewer
Is Brewer at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brewer has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #109 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Brewer 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 Penobscot County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Brewer?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brewer’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 Brewer?
By FEMA money that reached Brewer, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $150K to the City of Brewer for repairs.
Is Brewer at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Brewer’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brewer.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brewer’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.