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N Chesterville MEPhoto: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Chesterville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Chesterville faces more hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesterville gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then hurricanes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 63%Hurricanes 20%Ice storms 12%

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

more than 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Maine · higher than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
63% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1987 · $51K
Disasters paid out here
13
of 29 declared for Franklin County
By hazard

What Chesterville 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

63%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Ice storms

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Lightning top 4% Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Chesterville’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Chesterville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chesterville, and Chesterville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 12%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Chesterville sits
Chesterville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding63%Hurricanes20%Ice storms12%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $618K a year in losses across Chesterville: $455K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Chesterville’s 1,328 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with New Sharon town (1,458 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 Chesterville flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chesterville, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19872023
19872026
Biggest named events
  • The December nor’easter1 claim · $28K
2
paid claims since 1987
$51K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$26K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Chesterville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Franklin County.
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chesterville

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding15 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$53K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$65K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  3. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$25K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  4. 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$53K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$26K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$35K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2005Snow$6K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$6K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  6. 2001Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$48K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
  7. 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChestervilleFranklin County only

Franklin County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Chesterville archive →
Next door

Chesterville and its neighbors

Chesterville is 7th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Vienna: not gradedNew Sharon: hazard risk CMount Vernon: hazard risk B+Farmington: hazard risk B−Jay: hazard risk B−Fayette: hazard risk AWilton: hazard risk B−ViennaNew SharonMount VernonFarmingtonJayFayetteWiltonChesterville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FayetteAless damage than 87%river and rain flooding1
Mount VernonB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding—
FarmingtonB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding22
JayB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding1
WiltonB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding4
New SharonCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding1
ChestervilleCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding2
Vienna—536 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Chesterville 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 Chesterville

Is Chesterville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesterville has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and hurricanes (20%). 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 Chesterville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Chesterville since 1987, $51K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from December Nor'easter (1).

Is Chesterville 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 Franklin County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Chesterville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Chesterville, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): 15 households applied for aid, $24K approved, and $53K to the Town of Chesterville for repairs. By flood claims, December Nor'easter: 1 paid, $28K.

Is Chesterville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Chesterville’s rate for it is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chesterville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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