Photo: Tichnor Brothers, Publisher · Public domainCarmel’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carmel gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #106 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), 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 Carmel 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 Carmel’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carmel, and Carmel’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 7%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #106 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Carmel’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Maine town has lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. towns; within the state, Carmel has more expected damage per building than 74% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $825K a year in losses across Carmel: $695K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carmel flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Carmel. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Carmel 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carmel
Disasters that paid out in Carmel itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Carmel), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$20K to the Town of Carmel for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$7K to the Town of Carmel for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$12K to the Town of Carmel for repairs
- 2005Snow$5K to the Town of Carmel for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Carmel 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 Carmel after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carmel archive →Carmel and its neighbors
Carmel is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Carmel 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 Carmel
Is Carmel at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carmel has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #106 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Carmel 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 Carmel?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carmel’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 Carmel?
By FEMA money that reached Carmel, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $20K to the Town of Carmel for repairs.
Is Carmel at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Carmel’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carmel.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carmel’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.