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Howland, MainePhoto: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Howland · FEMA

FEMA puts Howland’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Howland gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 81%Hurricanes 9%Ice storms 5%

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 67%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 67% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1978 · $88K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 18 declared for Penobscot County
By hazard

What Howland 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

81%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 3% Earthquakes Winter storms top 1% Tornadoes Hail 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 Howland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Howland, and Howland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Howland sits
Howland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Hurricanes9%Ice storms5%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $443K a year in losses across Howland: $388K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Howland’s 1,094 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Howland CDP (947 residents) and Maxfield town (89 residents) and Seboeis plantation (40 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 Howland flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Howland, from FEMA’s records: 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 2 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 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: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819871998
19782026
6
paid claims since 1978
$88K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Howland 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

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Howland

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$26K to the Town of Howland for repairs
  2. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$15K to the Town of Howland for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2005Snow$4K to the Town of Howland for repairs
  4. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$4K to the Town of Howland for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Howland for repairs
  6. 2003Snow$2K to the Town of Howland for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2002Severe Winter Cold and Frost$11K to the Town of Howland for repairs
  2. 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Howland for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HowlandPenobscot 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 Howland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Howland archive →
Next door

Howland and its neighbors

Howland has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Maxfield: not gradedEdinburg: not gradedLagrange: not gradedMaxfieldEdinburgLagrangeHowland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HowlandCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding6
Maxfield—76 residents; we grade 1,000+
Edinburg—172 residents; we grade 1,000+
Lagrange—709 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 Howland 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 ↗
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 Howland

Is Howland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Howland has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (9%). 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 Howland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Howland since 1978, $88K in all, or 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Howland 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 Howland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Howland, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $26K to the Town of Howland for repairs.

Is Howland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Howland’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Howland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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