Riverview House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Vassalboro’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vassalboro gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #111 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (16%). 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 Vassalboro 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 Vassalboro’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vassalboro, and Vassalboro’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 8%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #111 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Vassalboro’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, Vassalboro has more expected damage per building than 77% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Vassalboro: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Vassalboro flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Vassalboro. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Vassalboro 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Vassalboro
Disasters that paid out in Vassalboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Vassalboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding39 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$22K to the Town of Vassalboro for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$17K to the Town of Vassalboro for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$15K to the Town of Vassalboro for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$11K to the Town of Vassalboro for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$4K to the Town of Vassalboro for repairs
- 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Vassalboro for repairs
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 Vassalboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vassalboro archive →Vassalboro and its neighbors
Vassalboro is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| China | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Vassalboro | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Augusta | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 94 |
| Winslow | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
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 Vassalboro 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 Vassalboro
Is Vassalboro at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vassalboro has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #111 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (16%). 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 Vassalboro 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 Vassalboro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Vassalboro’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 Vassalboro?
By FEMA money that reached Vassalboro, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): 39 households applied for aid, $10K approved, and $22K to the Town of Vassalboro for repairs.
Is Vassalboro at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Vassalboro’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vassalboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Vassalboro’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.