Powers House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Sidney faces less hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sidney gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #30 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then hurricanes (22%). 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 Sidney 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 Sidney’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sidney, and Sidney’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #30 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sidney’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, Sidney has less expected damage per building than 80% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Sidney: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sidney flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sidney. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sidney isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kennebec County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Sidney
Disasters that paid out in Sidney itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sidney), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding19 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Kennebec County has had 22 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 Sidney after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sidney archive →Sidney and its neighbors
Sidney has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Oakland | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Belgrade | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Vassalboro | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Augusta | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 94 |
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 Sidney 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 Sidney
Is Sidney at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sidney has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #30 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and hurricanes (22%). 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 Sidney 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 Kennebec County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sidney?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sidney’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 Sidney?
By FEMA money that reached Sidney, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): 19 households applied for aid, $7K approved.
Is Sidney at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Sidney’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sidney.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sidney’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.