FEMA Records
22
Above median
Maine · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Penobscot County, ME
22 FEMA disaster declarations (1970-2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 22
- FEMA declarations
- 13
- Major disasters
- 78
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Penobscot County has a nationally busy FEMA history: 22 declarations, more than 57% of counties in this registry. But the state comparison tempers that reading: the total is 25% below the Maine county mean. FEMA's separate National Risk Index places the county in the riskiest 22%; that score models loss and vulnerability rather than counting declarations.
- Riskiest 22%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 22
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 238
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 23019 · Penobscot County 22 declarations · rank 1271/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-BELOW
- DECL-HEAVY 22
- MAJOR-MID 59%
- RANK-LOWER #1,271
- PHOTO-FINISH Hardy
- NRI-LOW 78
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Flood
- VS-ST-BELOW -25%
Nearest declaration peer: Hardy, WV (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Maine state profile
Penobscot County in the declaration-count neighbourhood
FEMA declaration records among Penobscot County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Hardy · near 22
Hardy · near
22 declarations
- Penobscot · this county 22
Penobscot · this county
22 declarations
- Prairie · near 22
Prairie · near
22 declarations
- St. Francis · near 22
St. Francis · near
22 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Penobscot County carries 22 FEMA declaration records, ranked 1271 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
How Penobscot County's FEMA declaration count compares nationally
Penobscot County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Penobscot County
22 Top 43% higher than 57% of 3,266 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-25
Penobscot County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Penobscot County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $24.1M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Winter Weather carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Penobscot County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
The NFIP claims register shows a middle-volume loss record here: 238 paid claims, totaling $1.7M. PlainHazard uses 50-499 claims for this descriptive band; FEMA does not publish it as a safety or coverage category. The $7.2K average describes payments on recorded claims only, leaving uninsured damage and properties without a claim outside the measure.
Start with the state benchmark: a Maine county averages 29.4 federal declaration records, while Penobscot County has 22. The gap is 25% below that mean. Fewer entries indicate a quieter history of recorded federal actions, not immunity from a hazard and not a prediction about what happens next.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 78.0/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $41.2M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Winter Weather stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 26 times per year here, based on 490 historical events on record.
55 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Penobscot County, ME · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) High
16/30
22 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.1x national county average)
County Disaster Density Moderate
9/25
22 declarations (0.7x state county average of 29)
Major Disaster Share High
15/25
13 of 22 declarations are major disasters (59%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
15/20
6 different disaster types declared in Penobscot County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Penobscot County
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
59%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
78
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Penobscot County?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 26 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Very High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Lightning | Relatively High | an average of 16 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 13 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | an average of 2 times per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | roughly once every 612 years |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | an average of 4.5 times per year |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 4.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Avalanche | Very Low | roughly once every 100 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | an average of 11 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 1.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 9 years |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 88,538 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Flood 6
Snowstorm 6
Severe Storm 5
Hurricane 2
Biological 2
Freezing 1
What Flood declarations mean here
Flood is the most frequent declaration type on Penobscot County's record, 27% of its declarations. Federal flood declarations cover two mechanisms that behave very differently: riverine flooding, which builds over days as a watershed drains and is usually forecast well in advance, and flash flooding, which can arrive in under an hour from rainfall that fell somewhere upstream.
Flood is also the one hazard class where a second federal dataset exists for the same events. The National Flood Insurance Program records what was actually paid on insured losses, so it measures a narrower thing than the declaration count: uninsured damage, and flooding outside mapped special flood hazard areas, never enters it. Reading the two together is more informative than either alone.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 13 59.1%
of all 22 declarations
Emergency - 9 40.9%
of all 22 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 2 | |
| 1987 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
Show 1 earlier declaration years
| 1970 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 22 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 22 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4754 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-01-30 |
| 3598 | HURRICANE LEE | EM | Hurricane | 2023-09-14 |
| 4522 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-04 |
| 3444 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4354 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2018-01-02 |
| 1755 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2008-05-09 |
| 3256 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-19 |
| 3209 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-04-01 |
| 3206 | RECORD AND/OR NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-03-14 |
| 3194 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2004-01-26 |
| 3190 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2004-01-15 |
| 1468 | SEVERE WINTER COLD AND FROST | DR | Freezing | 2003-05-14 |
| 1371 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-05-16 |
| 3164 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2001-03-20 |
| 1198 | SEVERE ICE STORMS, RAINS AND HIGH WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-01-13 |
| 1106 | SEVERE STORMS, ICE JAMS, FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-03-13 |
| 988 | HEAVY RAIN, SNOWMELT, ICE JAMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1993-05-11 |
| 3099 | BLIZZARDS, SEVERE WINDS & SNOWFALL, COASTAL STORM | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-15 |
| 788 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1987-04-09 |
| 410 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-01-18 |
Show 2 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 384 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-05-23 |
| 284 | SEVERE STORMS, ICE JAMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1970-02-27 |
Storm Events in Maine
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Penobscot County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 972 | 3 | 0 | $821.0K |
| Heavy Snow | 817 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Storm | 672 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Weather | 540 | 0 | 52 | $0 |
| High Wind | 261 | 3 | 0 | $40.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
238
Total Paid
$1.7M
Avg Per Claim
$7.2K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 78.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$41.2M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Winter Weather Very High
Ice Storm Very High
Lightning Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Riverine Flooding Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Landslide Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Coastal Flooding Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Winter Weather
Winter Weather in the model means the accumulation of snow and cold that disrupts rather than destroys: road closures, roof loads, burst pipes and lost heating. Its costs land heavily on transport and on households least able to absorb an interruption.
Worth noting for Penobscot County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Winter Weather carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Flood. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Penobscot County's closest FEMA peer: Dukes County, MA
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Penobscot County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Penobscot County shows 22 FEMA declarations, led by Flood.
Similar Major-disaster share
Penobscot County: 13 of 22 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Penobscot County: NRI composite 78.0 (Relatively Low).
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Penobscot County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Penobscot County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 78.0 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 22. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Penobscot County's NFIP claims file (238 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Penobscot County?
The most common disaster type in Penobscot County is Flood, with 6 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (6), Severe Storm (5), Hurricane (2).
How does Penobscot County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Maine average?
The typical Maine county has 29.4 FEMA declaration records; Penobscot County has 22, or 25% fewer. Against the national county mean of 20.7, this county's total is 6% higher. The comparison is historical and says nothing about the probability of a future event.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Penobscot County received?
Penobscot County has received 13 major disaster declarations, representing 59% of all 22 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Penobscot County filed?
Penobscot County has 238 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $1.7M in payments, with an average of $7.2K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Penobscot County?
No. In Penobscot County, Winter Weather has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $24.1M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Penobscot County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Penobscot County was 2005, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1970 to 2024.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Penobscot County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Penobscot County, Maine has an overall risk score of 78.0 out of 100 (Relatively Low). Social vulnerability here rates Relatively Low, while community resilience comes in at Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $41.2M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Penobscot County?
The top hazard flagged by FEMA's NRI for Penobscot County is Winter Weather (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Ice Storm (Very High) and Lightning (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts winter weather here at an average of 26 times per year, drawn from 490 historical events on record. The underlying methodology weighs historical event frequency against 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.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Penobscot County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Maine profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events