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Maine · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Kennebec County, ME

3 FEMA disaster declarations (2023–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Storm.

3
FEMA declarations
2
Major disasters
75
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Kennebec County in the top 25% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 42% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Kennebec County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Maine county average and the national county average.

Kennebec County
3
Maine county avg
3.4
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Kennebec County?

Kennebec County, Maine has recorded 3 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2024, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 3.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 13% below the Maine county average of 3.4 and 20% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency, smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Storm, with 1 of 3 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 75.2/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $37.5M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Low and community resilience scores Very High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Winter Weather (Very High).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Kennebec County at a low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps, flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management, before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How Kennebec County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Low

vs. Maine Avg

-13%

State avg: 3.4

vs. National Avg

-20%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

3.0

Over 1 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Kennebec County

Kennebec County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 25, Flood 25, Hurricane 48, Tornado 8, Wildfire 8, Drought 48, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 92. Overall composite 33 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 33 composite
Kennebec County NRI risk profile FIPS 23011 · composite 33/100 (Moderate)

The radar plots Kennebec County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.

FEMA Records

3

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

23011

ME state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 3 FEMA disaster declarations in Kennebec County by incident type.

Severe Storm 1
Hurricane 1
Flood 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Major Disaster - 2 66.7%

of all 3 declarations

Emergency - 1 33.3%

of all 3 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Kennebec County.

Year Declarations
2024 1
2023 2

Disaster Declarations

All 3 FEMA disaster declarations for Kennebec County, Maine.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4754 SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2024-01-30
3598 HURRICANE LEE EM Hurricane 2023-09-14
4719 SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING DR Flood 2023-07-06

Storm Events in Maine

NOAA severe weather data for Maine (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 1,015 4 0 $895.0K
Heavy Snow 853 0 0 $0
Winter Storm 735 0 0 $0
Winter Weather 706 0 52 $0
Drought 348 0 0 $140.0K

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Kennebec County.

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 75.2/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Low

$37.5M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Low

Community Resilience

Very High

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Kennebec County.

Winter Weather Very High
Ice Storm Very High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Drought Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Landslide Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Avalanche Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in Maine

Other Maine counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Kennebec County, Maine had?
Kennebec County, Maine has received 3 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2024. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Kennebec County?
The most common disaster type in Kennebec County is Severe Storm, with 1 declaration. Other disaster types include Hurricane (1), Flood (1).
How does Kennebec County's disaster risk compare to the Maine average?
Kennebec County has 3 disaster declarations, which is 13% lower than the Maine county average of 3.4 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 20% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Kennebec County received?
Kennebec County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 67% of all 3 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Maine?
The most common storm types in Maine include Thunderstorm Wind (1,015 events), Heavy Snow (853 events), Winter Storm (735 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Kennebec County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Kennebec County was 2023, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2023 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Kennebec County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Kennebec County has a low disaster risk level with 3 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Kennebec County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Kennebec County, Maine has an overall risk score of 75.2 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $37.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Kennebec County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Kennebec County is Winter Weather (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Ice Storm (Very High) and Hurricane (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.

Data Sources & Methodology

Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.

Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.

This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.

What this means for Kennebec County

Kennebec County, ME has 3 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 13% below the Maine county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 3) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Maine overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →

Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.