Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Lincoln faces more hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lincoln gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2011.
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 Lincoln 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
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 Lincoln’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lincoln, and Lincoln’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lincoln’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Lincoln: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lincoln flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lincoln, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $95K
Lincoln isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grafton County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lincoln
Disasters that paid out in Lincoln itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lincoln), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene12 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$6.9M to the Town of Lincoln for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $95K
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$719 aid approved$4K to the Town of Lincoln for repairs
Grafton 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.
Old photos of Lincoln after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lincoln archive →Lincoln and its neighbors
Lincoln is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Lincoln 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.
- 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 Lincoln
Is Lincoln at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lincoln has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Lincoln flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Lincoln since 2011, $96K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (4).
Is Lincoln 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 Grafton County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lincoln?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lincoln’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 Lincoln?
By FEMA money that reached Lincoln, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 12 households applied for aid, $3K approved, and $6.9M to the Town of Lincoln for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 4 paid, $95K.
Is Lincoln at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Lincoln’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lincoln.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lincoln’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.