German Church and Cemetery · Public domainFEMA puts Waldoboro’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 65% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waldoboro gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #86 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (40%), then hurricanes (37%). 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 Waldoboro 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
Coastal flooding
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 Waldoboro’s grade
River and rain flooding is 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Waldoboro, and Waldoboro’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #86 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Waldoboro’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, Waldoboro has more expected damage per building than 60% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Waldoboro: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Waldoboro flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Waldoboro. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Waldoboro isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lincoln County.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waldoboro
Disasters that paid out in Waldoboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Waldoboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$58K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$36K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$10K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$24K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$17K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
Show all 12
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$102K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$73K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding11 households applied for aid$42K aid approved$57K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2007Flooding$16K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2002Severe Winter Cold and Frost$10K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
- 2001Snow$10K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs
Lincoln County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Waldoboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Waldoboro archive →Waldoboro and its neighbors
Waldoboro is 2nd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship | B+less damage than 66% | hurricanes | — |
| Waldoboro | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Warren | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Nobleboro | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Damariscotta | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Union | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Jefferson | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bremen | — | 917 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 Waldoboro 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.
- 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.
- 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 Waldoboro
Is Waldoboro at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waldoboro has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #86 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (40%) and hurricanes (37%). 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 Waldoboro 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 Lincoln County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Waldoboro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Waldoboro’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 Waldoboro?
By FEMA money that reached Waldoboro, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2008): $102K to the Town of Waldoboro for repairs.
Is Waldoboro at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Waldoboro’s rate for it is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waldoboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Waldoboro’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.