Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in North Yarmouth than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Yarmouth gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #58 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then hurricanes (26%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 North Yarmouth 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
Ice storms
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 North Yarmouth’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in North Yarmouth, and North Yarmouth’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.
B+ #58 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of North Yarmouth’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Maine town has lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. towns; within the state, North Yarmouth has less expected damage per building than 60% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $872K a year in losses across North Yarmouth: $727K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does North Yarmouth flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in North Yarmouth. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
North Yarmouth isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cumberland County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to North Yarmouth
Disasters that paid out in North Yarmouth itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of North Yarmouth), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$85K aid approved
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding6 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Cumberland County has had 32 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of North Yarmouth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the North Yarmouth archive →North Yarmouth and its neighbors
North Yarmouth is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pownal | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Gray | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cumberland | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| North Yarmouth | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Yarmouth | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Cumberland Center | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 North Yarmouth 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.
- 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.
- 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 North Yarmouth
Is North Yarmouth at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Yarmouth has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #58 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and hurricanes (26%). 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.
Is North Yarmouth 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 Cumberland County, 1.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in North Yarmouth?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for North Yarmouth’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 North Yarmouth?
By FEMA money that reached North Yarmouth, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 7 households applied for aid, $85K approved.
Is North Yarmouth at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and North Yarmouth’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in North Yarmouth.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where North Yarmouth’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.