Free Will Baptist Church (Former) · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0Milo’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Milo gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then ice storms (21%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1979.
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 Milo 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
Ice storms
Hurricanes
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 Milo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Milo, and Milo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 21%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Milo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Milo: $790K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Milo flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Milo, from FEMA’s records: 9.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Milo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Piscataquis County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Milo
Disasters that paid out in Milo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Milo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$207K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$10K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$6K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2005Snow$9K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$11K to the Town of Milo for repairs
Show all 11
- 2003Snow$9K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$24K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Milo for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$9K to the Town of Milo for repairs
Piscataquis County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Milo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Milo archive →Milo and its neighbors
Milo has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milo | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Brownville | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Sebec | — | 547 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Medford | — | 222 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 Milo 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Milo
Is Milo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Milo has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and ice storms (21%). 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 Milo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Milo since 1979, $165K in all, or 9.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Milo 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 Piscataquis County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Milo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Milo’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 Milo?
By FEMA money that reached Milo, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $207K to the Town of Milo for repairs.
Is Milo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Milo’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Milo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Milo’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.