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Maine · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Somerset County, ME

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

4
FEMA declarations
3
Major disasters
68
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Severe Storm
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Somerset County in the top 32% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 59% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Somerset County compare?

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

Somerset County
4
Maine county avg
3.4
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Somerset County?

Somerset County, Maine has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2023 and 2024, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 4.0 declarations per year across a 1-year record, or roughly 16% above the Maine county average of 3.4 and 7% above 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 2 of 4 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 67.9/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $26.3M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Moderate and community resilience scores Relatively Moderate - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Winter Weather (Relatively 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 Somerset 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 Somerset County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Low

vs. Maine Avg

+16%

State avg: 3.4

vs. National Avg

+7%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

4.0

Over 1 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Somerset County

Somerset County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 0, Hurricane 48, Tornado 8, Wildfire 8, Drought 48, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 70. Overall composite 25 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 25 composite
Somerset County NRI risk profile FIPS 23025 · composite 25/100 (Low)

The radar plots Somerset 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

4

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

23025

ME state code

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

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 4 FEMA disaster declarations in Somerset County by incident type.

Severe Storm 2
Hurricane 1
Flood 1

Declaration Types

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

Major Disaster - 3 75.0%

of all 4 declarations

Emergency - 1 25.0%

of all 4 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Somerset County.

Year Declarations
2024 1
2023 3

Disaster Declarations

All 4 FEMA disaster declarations for Somerset 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
4696 SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING DR Severe Storm 2023-03-22

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 Somerset County.

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 67.9/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Low

$26.3M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Moderate

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

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

Winter Weather Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively High
Ice Storm Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Avalanche Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Tornado 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 Somerset County, Maine had?
Somerset County, Maine has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2023 to 2024. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Somerset County?
The most common disaster type in Somerset County is Severe Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (1), Flood (1).
How does Somerset County's disaster risk compare to the Maine average?
Somerset County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 16% higher than the Maine county average of 3.4 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Somerset County received?
Somerset County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 75% of all 4 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 Somerset County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Somerset County was 2023, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2023 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Somerset County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Somerset County has a low disaster risk level with 4 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Somerset County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Somerset County, Maine has an overall risk score of 67.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $26.3M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Somerset County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Somerset County is Winter Weather (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Cold Wave (Relatively High) and Ice Storm (Relatively High). 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 Somerset County

Somerset County, ME has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 16% above the Maine county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 4) - 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.