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United Methodist Church of Minot, Minot MEPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Minot · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Minot than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minot gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #46 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then hurricanes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 60%Hurricanes 24%Ice storms 9%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#46 of 143 in Maine
Hazard risk
A−#46 of 143
in Maine · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
60% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2008 · $2K
Disasters paid out here
14
of 28 declared for Androscoggin County
By hazard

What Minot 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

60%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Ice storms

9%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 Hail Winter storms Tornadoes Lightning Strong wind Wildfire 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 drought at 11% of Minot’s expected losses. Drought does 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 Minot’s grade

River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Minot, and Minot’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Minot sits
Minot
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #46 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding60%Hurricanes24%Ice storms9%Everything else7%

The typical Maine town has lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. towns; within the state, Minot has less expected damage per building than 68% of Maine towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $425K a year in losses across Minot: $277K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Minot’s 2,766 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Mechanic Falls town (3,107 residents) and Mechanic Falls CDP (2,257 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 Minot flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Minot, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2008
20082026
1
paid claims since 2008
$2K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Androscoggin County.
Disasters

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Minot

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding10 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$47K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$14K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$18K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$59K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  5. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$93K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$41K to the Town of Minot for repairs
Show all 14
  1. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$18K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  2. 2005Record Snow$6K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  3. 2005Snow$9K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  4. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$10K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$10K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$12K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  7. 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$10K to the Town of Minot for repairs
  8. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$8K to the Town of Minot for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MinotAndroscoggin County only

Androscoggin County has had 28 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 Minot after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Minot archive →
Next door

Minot and its neighbors

Minot is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Mechanic Falls: hazard risk A−Poland: hazard risk A−Auburn: hazard risk A−Hebron: hazard risk B−Mechanic FallsPolandAuburnHebronMinot
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
PolandA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding—
Mechanic FallsA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding5
MinotA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding1
AuburnA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding54
HebronB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding—

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 Minot 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 Minot

Is Minot at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minot has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #46 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) 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 Minot flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Minot since 2008, $2K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Minot 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 Androscoggin County, 35% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Minot?

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

By FEMA money that reached Minot, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): $93K to the Town of Minot for repairs.

Is Minot at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Minot’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Minot.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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