Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church · Photo: National Park Service · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Grand Isle
Grand Isle isn’t graded for hazard risk: Grand Isle has 407 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.
What Grand Isle 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
Earthquakes
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.
Does Grand Isle flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grand Isle, from FEMA’s records.
Grand Isle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Aroostook County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Grand Isle
Disasters that paid out in Grand Isle itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Grand Isle), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$4K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Snow$4K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs
- 2005Snow$4K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$2K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs
- 2003Snow$3K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs
- 2002Severe Winter Cold and Frost$1K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs
Show all 7
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$30K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs
Aroostook County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Grand Isle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grand Isle archive →Grand Isle and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. 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 Grand Isle 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Grand Isle
Does Grand Isle flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Grand Isle since 2008, $2K in all.
Is Grand Isle 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 Aroostook County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Grand Isle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grand Isle’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 Grand Isle?
By FEMA money that reached Grand Isle, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams (2000): $30K to the Town of Grand Isle for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grand Isle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grand Isle’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.