Photo: Benggriff · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Rockport than in 83% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rockport gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #19 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (40%), then river and rain flooding (37%). 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 stands out about Rockport’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Rockport faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Rockport’s grade
Hurricanes are 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rockport, and Rockport’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 13%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #19 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Rockport’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, Rockport has less expected damage per building than 87% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Rockport: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rockport flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rockport. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rockport isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Knox County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rockport
Disasters that paid out in Rockport itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Rockport), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$15K aid approved$243K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2021Severe Storm and Flooding$820K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$17K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$35K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$18K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$59K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
Show all 10
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding6 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$5K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2007Flooding$57K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$67K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$17K to the Town of Rockport for repairs
Knox County has had 25 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 Rockport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rockport archive →Rockport and its neighbors
Rockport is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockland | Aless damage than 86% | hurricanes | 7 |
| Rockport | A−less damage than 83% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Camden | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Warren | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| North Haven | — | 480 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 Rockport faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Rockport
Is Rockport at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rockport has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #19 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (40%) and river and rain flooding (37%). 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 Rockport 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 Knox County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rockport?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rockport’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 Rockport?
By FEMA money that reached Rockport, Severe Storm and Flooding (2021): $820K to the Town of Rockport for repairs.
Is Rockport at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Rockport’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rockport.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rockport’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.