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WelcomeToWashburnPhoto: Adolphus79 · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Washburn · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Washburn faces less hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Washburn gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1981.

River and rain flooding 74%Hurricanes 15%Earthquakes 5%

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

less than 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Maine · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1981 · $30K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 20 declared for Aroostook County
By hazard

What Washburn 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms top 0% Ice storms Strong wind Hail Tornadoes Lightning 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 58% of Washburn’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 Washburn’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Washburn, and Washburn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Washburn sits
Washburn
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Hurricanes15%Earthquakes5%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $606K a year in losses across Washburn: $192K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Washburn’s 1,527 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Woodland town (1,217 residents) and Washburn CDP (937 residents) and Perham town (371 residents) and Wade town (229 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 Washburn flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Washburn, from FEMA’s records: 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 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: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198119912019
19812026
4
paid claims since 1981
$30K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Washburn 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.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Washburn

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

  1. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$123K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  2. 2005Snow$15K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  3. 2005Snow$10K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  4. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$7K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  6. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  2. 2002Severe Winter Cold and Frost$6K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  3. 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
  4. 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$20K to the Town of Washburn for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WashburnAroostook County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Washburn archive →
Next door

Washburn and its neighbors

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

Mapleton: hazard risk A−Wade: not gradedWoodland: hazard risk B+MapletonWadeWoodlandWashburn
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MapletonA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding—
WoodlandB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
WashburnB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding4
Wade—244 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 Washburn 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 ↗
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 Washburn

Is Washburn at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Washburn has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (15%). 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 Washburn flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Washburn since 1981, $30K in all, or 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Washburn 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 Washburn?

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

By FEMA money that reached Washburn, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 6 households applied for aid, $25K approved, and $123K to the Town of Washburn for repairs.

Is Washburn at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Washburn’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Washburn.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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