Photo: Public domain · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Isle au Haut
Isle au Haut isn’t graded for hazard risk: Isle au Haut has 69 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Isle au Haut faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
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.
Does Isle au Haut flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Isle au Haut. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Isle au Haut 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Isle au Haut
Disasters that paid out in Isle au Haut itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Isle au Haut), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$2K to the Town of Isle au Haut for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$3K to the Town of Isle au Haut for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$14K to the Town of Isle au Haut for repairs
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.
Old photos of Isle au Haut after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Isle au Haut archive →Isle au Haut and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stonington | B+less damage than 69% | hurricanes | 3 |
| Vinalhaven | B−more damage than 51% | coastal flooding | 4 |
| Swans Island | — | 438 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 Isle au Haut faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Isle au Haut
Is Isle au Haut 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 Isle au Haut?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Isle au Haut’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 Isle au Haut?
By FEMA money that reached Isle au Haut, Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams (2005): $14K to the Town of Isle au Haut for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Isle au Haut.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Isle au Haut’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.