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First Parish Congregational Church, Pownal MEPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pownal · FEMA

FEMA puts Pownal’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pownal gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then hurricanes (29%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 57%Hurricanes 29%Ice storms 7%

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 85%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Maine · lower than 85% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
15
of 32 declared for Cumberland County
By hazard

What Pownal 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

57%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

29%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

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Landslides Tornadoes Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Pownal’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pownal, and Pownal’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 7%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pownal sits
Pownal
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Hurricanes29%Ice storms7%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $320K a year in losses across Pownal: $259K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pownal’s 1,566 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with New Gloucester town (5,676 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 Pownal flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pownal. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pownal 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.
Disasters

15 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pownal

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

  1. 2024Severe Winter Storm$37K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  2. 2024Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$23K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  4. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$6K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  5. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$13K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$39K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
Show all 15
  1. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$57K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$15K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  3. 2005Record Snow$9K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  4. 2005Snow$7K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  5. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$8K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  6. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  7. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  8. 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
  9. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$3K to the Town of Pownal for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PownalCumberland County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Pownal after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pownal archive →
Next door

Pownal and its neighbors

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

North Yarmouth: hazard risk B+Freeport: hazard risk ADurham: hazard risk A−New Gloucester: hazard risk A−North YarmouthFreeportDurhamNew GloucesterPownal
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FreeportAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding3
New GloucesterA−less damage than 85%river and rain flooding—
PownalA−less damage than 85%river and rain flooding0
DurhamA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding6
North YarmouthB+less damage than 74%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 Pownal 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 Pownal

Is Pownal at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pownal has lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and hurricanes (29%). 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 Pownal 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 Pownal?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pownal, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): $57K to the Town of Pownal for repairs.

Is Pownal at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Pownal’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pownal.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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