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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hudson · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Hudson faces less hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hudson gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then hurricanes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 71%Hurricanes 15%Ice storms 6%

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 79%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Maine · lower than 79% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1979 · $2K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 18 declared for Penobscot County
By hazard

What Hudson 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

71%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Ice storms

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms top 1% Hail Tornadoes 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 Hudson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hudson, and Hudson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hudson sits
Hudson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding71%Hurricanes15%Ice storms6%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $318K a year in losses across Hudson: $243K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hudson’s 1,416 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Bradford town (1,184 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 Hudson flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hudson, from FEMA’s records: 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 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: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19791993
19792026
2
paid claims since 1979
$2K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$830
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Hudson 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

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hudson

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

  1. 2005Snow$6K to the Town of Hudson for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Hudson for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Hudson for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Hudson for repairs
  5. 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Hudson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HudsonPenobscot 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 Hudson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hudson archive →
Next door

Hudson and its neighbors

Hudson is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bradford: hazard risk A−Alton: not gradedCorinth: hazard risk A−Glenburn: hazard risk BBradfordAltonCorinthGlenburnHudson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CorinthA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding—
BradfordA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding2
HudsonA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding2
GlenburnBless damage than 59%river and rain flooding11
Alton—819 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 Hudson 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 Hudson

Is Hudson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hudson has lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and hurricanes (15%). 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 Hudson flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Hudson since 1979, $2K in all, or 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Hudson 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 Hudson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hudson, Record And/or Near Record Snow (2005): $6K to the Town of Hudson for repairs.

Is Hudson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Hudson’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hudson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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