Ropes End · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Phippsburg than in 71% of U.S. towns, led by coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Phippsburg gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (36%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Phippsburg’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Phippsburg faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
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 Phippsburg’s grade
Coastal flooding is 36% of the building damage FEMA expects in Phippsburg, and Phippsburg’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Phippsburg’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $650K a year in losses across Phippsburg: $590K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Phippsburg flood? Sometimes: 21 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Phippsburg, from FEMA’s records: 11.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Phippsburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sagadahoc County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Phippsburg
Disasters that paid out in Phippsburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Phippsburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$11K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding14 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Sagadahoc County has had 19 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.
Old photos of Phippsburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Phippsburg archive →Phippsburg and its neighbors
Phippsburg is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Bath | B+less damage than 71% | coastal flooding | 3 |
| Phippsburg | B+less damage than 71% | coastal flooding | 21 |
| Harpswell | B+less damage than 69% | coastal flooding | 20 |
| Georgetown | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Bath | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Arrowsic | — | 597 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 Phippsburg faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Phippsburg
Is Phippsburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Phippsburg has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (36%) and river and rain flooding (31%). 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 Phippsburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 21 claims in Phippsburg since 1978, $160K in all, or 11.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Phippsburg 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 Sagadahoc County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Phippsburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Phippsburg’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 Phippsburg?
By FEMA money that reached Phippsburg, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 11 households applied for aid, $11K approved.
Is Phippsburg at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (36%), and Phippsburg’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Phippsburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Phippsburg’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.