Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0St. George’s building-damage rate from coastal flooding is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. George gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #126 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (34%), then hurricanes (33%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2022.
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 St. George 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
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 St. George’s grade
Coastal flooding is 34% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. George, and St. George’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 7%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #126 of 143 in Maine; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of St. George’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, St. George has more expected damage per building than 88% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $835K a year in losses across St. George: $728K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. George flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2022
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. George, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
St. George 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.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. George
Disasters that paid out in St. George itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of St. George), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$43K aid approved$477K to the Town of St. George for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$5K to the Town of St. George for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$8K to the Town of St. George for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$3K to the Town of St. George for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Town of St. George for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$6K to the Town of St. George for repairs
Show all 9
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$3K to the Town of St. George for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding4 households applied for aid$15K to the Town of St. George for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$9K to the Town of St. George 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 St. George after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. George archive →St. George and its neighbors
St. George is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cushing | B+less damage than 66% | hurricanes | — |
| Friendship | B+less damage than 66% | hurricanes | — |
| South Thomaston | Bless damage than 65% | hurricanes | 4 |
| Bristol | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| St. George | B−more damage than 52% | coastal flooding | 4 |
| Monhegan plantation | — | 120 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Matinicus Isle plantation | — | 48 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 St. George 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.
- 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 St. George
Is St. George at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. George has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #126 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (34%) and hurricanes (33%). 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 St. George flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in St. George since 2022, $53K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is St. George 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 St. George?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. George’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 St. George?
By FEMA money that reached St. George, Severe Storms and Flooding (2024): 6 households applied for aid, $43K approved, and $477K to the Town of St. George for repairs.
Is St. George at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (34%), and St. George’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. George.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. George’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.