Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Kingfield

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Maine State Routes 16 and 27 in downtown KingfieldPhoto: ThePessimus · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kingfield · FEMA

FEMA puts Kingfield’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kingfield gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then hurricanes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 81%Hurricanes 14%Ice storms 3%

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 78%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 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
14
paid since 1987 · $353K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
13
of 29 declared for Franklin County
By hazard

What Kingfield 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
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Lightning top 4% Tornadoes Strong wind Landslides top 4% Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Kingfield’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Kingfield’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kingfield, and Kingfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kingfield sits
Kingfield
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Hurricanes14%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $705K a year in losses across Kingfield: $551K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kingfield’s 960 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Carrabassett Valley town (673 residents) and Kingfield CDP (640 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 Kingfield flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kingfield, from FEMA’s records: 19.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 4 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 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: 5 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198720112017
19872026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $115K
  • The December nor’easter2 claims · $123K
14
paid claims since 1987
$353K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$25K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Franklin County.
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kingfield

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding15 households applied for aid$82K aid approved$378K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$35K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$31K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$69K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $115K
  5. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$9K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  6. 2005Snow$6K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$5K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  2. 2003Snow$3K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$6K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$3K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  5. 2001Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$6K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
  7. 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$8K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KingfieldFranklin County only

Franklin County has had 29 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Kingfield archive →
Next door

Kingfield and its neighbors

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

Carrabassett Valley: not gradedNew Portland: not gradedCarrabassett ValleyNew PortlandKingfield
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
KingfieldC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding14
Carrabassett Valley—637 residents; we grade 1,000+
New Portland—686 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 Kingfield 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 Kingfield

Is Kingfield at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kingfield has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and hurricanes (14%). 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 Kingfield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Kingfield since 1987, $353K in all, or 19.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).

Is Kingfield 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 Franklin County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Kingfield?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kingfield, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): 15 households applied for aid, $82K approved, and $378K to the Town of Kingfield for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $115K.

Is Kingfield at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Kingfield’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kingfield.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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