Storms, floods and disasters in Wade
Wade isn’t graded for hazard risk: Wade has 244 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2009.
What Wade 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
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.
Does Wade flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wade, from FEMA’s records.
Wade isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Aroostook County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wade
Disasters that paid out in Wade itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wade), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Wade for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Town of Wade for repairs
- 2005Snow$5K to the Town of Wade for repairs
- 2005Snow$4K to the Town of Wade for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$2K to the Town of Wade for repairs
- 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Wade for repairs
Show all 8
- 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Wade for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$12K to the Town of Wade for repairs
Aroostook County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Wade after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wade archive →Wade and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Castle Hill | — | 281 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Perham | — | 326 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 Wade 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.
- 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 Wade
Does Wade flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Wade since 2009, $89K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Wade 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 Aroostook County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Wade?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wade’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 Wade?
By FEMA money that reached Wade, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams (2000): $12K to the Town of Wade for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wade.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wade’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.