Kenduskeag’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenduskeag gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1998.
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
What Kenduskeag 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
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.
What’s behind Kenduskeag’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kenduskeag, and Kenduskeag’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 7%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kenduskeag’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $332K a year in losses across Kenduskeag: $272K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kenduskeag flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kenduskeag, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kenduskeag 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.The storms Kenduskeag remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Penobscot County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kenduskeag itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19981 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Ice Storms, Rains and High Winds, declared for Penobscot County
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.
Old photos of Kenduskeag after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kenduskeag archive →Kenduskeag and its neighbors
Kenduskeag is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. 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 Kenduskeag 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.
- 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 Kenduskeag
Is Kenduskeag at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenduskeag has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Kenduskeag flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Kenduskeag since 1998, $4K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kenduskeag 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 Kenduskeag?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kenduskeag’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kenduskeag at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Kenduskeag’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kenduskeag.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kenduskeag’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.