Photo: James H. Fisher, Hancock County Planning Commission; color-corrected by Howcheng · Public domainGouldsboro’s building-damage rate from coastal flooding is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gouldsboro gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (36%), then coastal flooding (30%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1997.
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 Gouldsboro 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 Gouldsboro’s grade
Hurricanes are 36% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gouldsboro, and Gouldsboro’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 30%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Gouldsboro’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $627K a year in losses across Gouldsboro: $519K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gouldsboro flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gouldsboro, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Gouldsboro isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hancock County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gouldsboro
Disasters that paid out in Gouldsboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Gouldsboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding18 households applied for aid$44K aid approved$213K to the Town of Gouldsboro for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$9K to the Town of Gouldsboro for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$3K to the Town of Gouldsboro for repairs
- 2007Flooding$4K to the Town of Gouldsboro for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$11K to the Town of Gouldsboro for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$1K to the Town of Gouldsboro for repairs
Hancock County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Gouldsboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gouldsboro archive →Gouldsboro and its neighbors
Gouldsboro is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Harbor | A−less damage than 75% | hurricanes | 3 |
| Hancock | B+less damage than 70% | hurricanes | 3 |
| Sullivan | Bless damage than 62% | hurricanes | — |
| Gouldsboro | B−less damage than 52% | hurricanes | 2 |
| Steuben | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Winter Harbor | — | 493 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Sorrento | — | 345 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 Gouldsboro 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 Gouldsboro
Is Gouldsboro at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gouldsboro has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (36%) and coastal flooding (30%). 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 Gouldsboro flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Gouldsboro since 1997, $21K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Gouldsboro 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 Hancock County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gouldsboro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gouldsboro’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 Gouldsboro?
By FEMA money that reached Gouldsboro, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 18 households applied for aid, $44K approved, and $213K to the Town of Gouldsboro for repairs.
Is Gouldsboro at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (36%), and Gouldsboro’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gouldsboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gouldsboro’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.