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Looking North, Charleston, MEPhoto: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Charleston · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Charleston than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Charleston gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then hurricanes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 69%Hurricanes 16%Ice storms 6%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Maine · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
69% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 18 declared for Penobscot County
By hazard

What Charleston 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

69%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Ice storms

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms top 1% Hail Tornadoes Lightning Strong wind Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Charleston’s grade

River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Charleston, and Charleston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Charleston sits
Charleston
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding69%Hurricanes16%Ice storms6%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $368K a year in losses across Charleston: $269K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Charleston’s 1,551 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Corinth town (2,900 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 Charleston flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Charleston 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.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Charleston

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

  1. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$302 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CharlestonPenobscot County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Charleston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Charleston archive →
Next door

Charleston and its neighbors

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

Bradford: hazard risk A−Garland: hazard risk B+Corinth: hazard risk A−BradfordGarlandCorinthCharleston
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CorinthA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding—
CharlestonA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding0
BradfordA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding2
GarlandB+less damage than 75%river and rain flooding—

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 Charleston 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 Charleston

Is Charleston at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Charleston has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and hurricanes (16%). 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 Charleston 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 Charleston?

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

By FEMA money that reached Charleston, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 1 households applied for aid, $302 approved.

Is Charleston at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Charleston’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Charleston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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