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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kennebunkport · FEMA

Kennebunkport’s building-damage rate from coastal flooding is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kennebunkport gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #135 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (42%), then river and rain flooding (30%). Flood insurance has paid 175 claims here since 1978.

Coastal flooding 42%River and rain flooding 30%Hurricanes 18%

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 63%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#135 of 143 in Maine
Hazard risk
C+#135 of 143
in Maine · higher than 63% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Coastal flooding
42% of expected building damage
Flood claims
175
paid since 1978 · $5.9M
Flooded more than once
18
properties · 3 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
17
of 35 declared for York County

What stands out about Kennebunkport’s natural hazards

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

175 paid flood claims since 1978$5.9M in all; 18 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 94% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 42.0% of the damage it expects.Remembers 202454 flood claims were paid for 2024 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Kennebunkport 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

42%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

30%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 3% Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Kennebunkport’s grade

Coastal flooding is 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kennebunkport, and Kennebunkport’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kennebunkport sits
Kennebunkport
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #135 of 143 in Maine; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Coastal flooding42%River and rain flooding30%Hurricanes18%Everything else10%

The typical Maine town has lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kennebunkport has more expected damage per building than 94% of Maine towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Kennebunkport: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kennebunkport’s 3,629 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Kennebunkport CDP (1,264 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 Kennebunkport flood? Yes: 175 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kennebunkport, from FEMA’s records: 60.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 22 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 3 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 22 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 8 claims1997: 3 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 2 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 4 claims2007: 22 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 2 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 12 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 10 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 54 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819912024
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The “Halloween” storm22 claims · $683K
  • The April 2007 nor’easter20 claims · $547K
175
paid claims since 1978
$5.9M
paid to owners
18
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: York County.
Disasters

17 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kennebunkport

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

  1. 2024Severe Winter Storm$6K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  2. 2024Severe Storms and Flooding43 households applied for aid$96K aid approved$253K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  3. 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$30K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs10 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2018Severe Storm and Flooding$23K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs12 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$29K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  6. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$14K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
Show all 17
  1. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$18K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$12K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  4. 2010Severe Winter Storm$24K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$94K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding7 households applied for aid$40K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs22 flood claims paid that year
  7. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$11K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  8. 2005Snow$18K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  9. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$13K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  10. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$16K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
  11. 2001Snow$6K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KennebunkportYork County only

York County has had 35 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Kennebunkport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kennebunkport archive →
Next door

Kennebunkport and its neighbors

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

Biddeford: hazard risk BKennebunk: hazard risk B+Arundel: hazard risk B+BiddefordKennebunkArundelKennebunkport
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ArundelB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding7
KennebunkB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding261
BiddefordBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding180
KennebunkportC+more damage than 63%coastal flooding175

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 Kennebunkport 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 tide surges
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 Kennebunkport

Is Kennebunkport at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kennebunkport has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #135 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (42%) and river and rain flooding (30%). 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 Kennebunkport flood?

Flood insurance has paid 175 claims in Kennebunkport since 1978, $5.9M in all, or 60.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 18 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from The "Halloween" Storm (22).

Is Kennebunkport 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 York County, 3.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Kennebunkport?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kennebunkport, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 43 households applied for aid, $96K approved, and $253K to the Town of Kennebunkport for repairs. By flood claims, The "Halloween" Storm: 22 paid, $683K.

Is Kennebunkport at risk from coastal flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Kennebunkport’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kennebunkport.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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