Photo: Maineshepp · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in New Sweden
New Sweden isn’t graded for hazard risk: New Sweden has 494 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What New Sweden 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
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.
Does New Sweden flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in New Sweden. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
New Sweden isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Aroostook County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Sweden
Disasters that paid out in New Sweden itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of New Sweden), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$46K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs
- 2005Snow$5K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs
- 2005Snow$4K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$4K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs
- 2003Snow$2K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs
- 2003Snow$1K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs
Show all 7
- 2003Snow$4K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs
Aroostook County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of New Sweden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the New Sweden archive →New Sweden and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Westmanland | — | 108 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Stockholm | — | 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 New Sweden 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.
- 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 New Sweden
Is New Sweden 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 Aroostook County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in New Sweden?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Sweden’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 New Sweden?
By FEMA money that reached New Sweden, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): $46K to the Town of New Sweden for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Sweden.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Sweden’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.