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Moses Hutchins HouseMoses Hutchins House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lovell · FEMA

For ice storms, Lovell’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lovell gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then hurricanes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 66%Hurricanes 24%Ice storms 7%

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 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Maine · lower than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
14
paid since 1987 · $214K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 34 declared for Oxford County
By hazard

What Lovell 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

66%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Ice storms

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning top 2% Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 8% of Lovell’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 Lovell’s grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lovell, and Lovell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 7%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lovell sits
Lovell
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Hurricanes24%Ice storms7%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $443K a year in losses across Lovell: $337K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Lovell’s 1,104 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Waterford town (1,570 residents) and Sweden town (406 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 Lovell flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lovell, from FEMA’s records: 10.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 7 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198719891998
19872026
14
paid claims since 1987
$214K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Oxford County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lovell

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$167K to the Town of Lovell for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2011Tropical Storm Irene$955 to the Town of Lovell for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$23K to the Town of Lovell for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$19K to the Town of Lovell for repairs
  5. 2005Record Snow$4K to the Town of Lovell for repairs
  6. 2005Snow$6K to the Town of Lovell for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Lovell for repairs
  2. 2001Snow$8K to the Town of Lovell for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$3K to the Town of Lovell for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LovellOxford County only

Oxford County has had 34 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 Lovell after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lovell archive →
Next door

Lovell and its neighbors

Lovell is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Stow: not gradedSweden: not gradedStoneham: not gradedWaterford: hazard risk B−StowSwedenStonehamWaterfordLovell
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WaterfordB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding—
LovellB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding14
Stow—535 residents; we grade 1,000+
Sweden—537 residents; we grade 1,000+
Stoneham—271 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 Lovell 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 Lovell

Is Lovell at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lovell has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and hurricanes (24%). 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 Lovell flood?

Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Lovell since 1987, $214K in all, or 10.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Lovell 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 Oxford County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lovell?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lovell, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $167K to the Town of Lovell for repairs.

Is Lovell at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Lovell’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lovell.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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