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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hope · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Hope than in 65% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hope gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then hurricanes (38%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 45%Hurricanes 38%Ice storms 11%

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 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Maine · lower than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
45% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 25 declared for Knox County

What stands out about Hope’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.8% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Hope 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

45%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hurricanes

38%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Ice storms

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms top 2% Hail Landslides top 2% Tornadoes Lightning Strong wind Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
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 Hope’s grade

River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hope, and Hope’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hope sits
Hope
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding45%Hurricanes38%Ice storms11%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $490K a year in losses across Hope: $377K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hope’s 1,698 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Appleton town (1,411 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 Hope flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Knox County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hope

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$300 aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$229K to the Town of Hope for repairs
  3. 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$128K to the Town of Hope for repairs
  4. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$6K to the Town of Hope for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Winter Storm$1K to the Town of Hope for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$5K to the Town of Hope for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding5 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2007Flooding$104K to the Town of Hope for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$17K to the Town of Hope for repairs
  4. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$4K to the Town of Hope for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HopeKnox County only

Knox County has had 25 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 Hope after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hope archive →
Next door

Hope and its neighbors

Hope is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Appleton: hazard risk B+Lincolnville: hazard risk B+Union: hazard risk BCamden: hazard risk A−AppletonLincolnvilleUnionCamdenHope
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CamdenA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding13
LincolnvilleB+less damage than 73%hurricanes14
AppletonB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding—
HopeB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding0
UnionBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding3

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 Hope 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 Hope

Is Hope at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hope has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and hurricanes (38%). 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 Hope 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 Knox County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hope?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hope, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $229K to the Town of Hope for repairs.

Is Hope at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Hope’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hope.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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