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7. York Grange No 340 1889 (3652589930)Photo: InAweofGod'sCreation · CC BY 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Unity · FEMA

Unity’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unity gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then hurricanes (26%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 59%Hurricanes 26%Ice storms 8%

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

more than 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Maine · higher than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1987 · $33K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Waldo County
By hazard

What Unity 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

59%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hurricanes

26%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Ice storms

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms top 0% Earthquakes Hail Tornadoes Lightning Strong wind Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Unity’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Unity’s grade

River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Unity, and Unity’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 8%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Unity sits
Unity
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding59%Hurricanes26%Ice storms8%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $918K a year in losses across Unity: $673K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Unity’s 2,292 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Burnham town (1,096 residents) and Troy town (1,018 residents) and Thorndike town (774 residents) and Unity CDP (448 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 Unity flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Unity, from FEMA’s records: 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198719931996
19872026
4
paid claims since 1987
$33K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Unity isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Waldo County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Unity

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$100K to the Town of Unity for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$52K to the Town of Unity for repairs
  3. 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$126K to the Town of Unity for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$52K to the Town of Unity for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$14K to the Town of Unity for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$15K to the Town of Unity for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in UnityWaldo County only

Waldo 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Unity archive →
Next door

Unity and its neighbors

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

Thorndike: not gradedTroy: hazard risk C+Freedom: not gradedAlbion: hazard risk B+Knox: not gradedThorndikeTroyFreedomAlbionKnoxUnity
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AlbionB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding2
TroyC+more damage than 55%river and rain flooding—
UnityC+more damage than 55%river and rain flooding4
Thorndike—not graded yet
Freedom—670 residents; we grade 1,000+
Knox—825 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Unity 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 Unity

Is Unity at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unity has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and hurricanes (26%). 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 Unity flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Unity since 1987, $33K in all, or 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Unity 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 Waldo County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Unity?

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

By FEMA money that reached Unity, Severe Storm and Flooding (2022): $126K to the Town of Unity for repairs.

Is Unity at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Unity’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Unity.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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