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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in West Paris · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, West Paris faces more hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Paris gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then hurricanes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 75%Hurricanes 18%Ice storms 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

more than 71%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 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
12
of 34 declared for Oxford County
By hazard

What West Paris 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

75%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 3% Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning top 1% Tornadoes Strong wind Hail 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 10% of West Paris’ 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 West Paris’ grade

River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Paris, and West Paris’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where West Paris sits
West Paris
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Hurricanes18%Ice storms5%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $592K a year in losses across West Paris: $447K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of West Paris’ 1,766 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 West Paris flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in West Paris. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Oxford County.
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to West Paris

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding12 households applied for aid$72K aid approved$34K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$166K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  3. 2022Severe Storm and Flooding$110K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$2K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$24K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  6. 2005Record Snow$6K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2005Snow$7K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$7K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams$7K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$4K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  5. 2001Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$11K to the Town of West Paris for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in West ParisOxford County only

Oxford County has had 34 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 West Paris after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the West Paris archive →
Next door

West Paris and its neighbors

West Paris is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Woodstock: hazard risk B+Paris: hazard risk B+Sumner: hazard risk B−Greenwood: not gradedWoodstockParisSumnerGreenwoodWest Paris
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ParisB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding1
WoodstockB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding—
SumnerB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding—
West ParisCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding0
Greenwood—781 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 West Paris 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 West Paris

Is West Paris at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Paris has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and hurricanes (18%). 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 West Paris 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 Oxford County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in West Paris?

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

By FEMA money that reached West Paris, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $166K to the Town of West Paris for repairs.

Is West Paris at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and West Paris’ rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Paris.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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