Natural disaster risk in Waldo County, Maine
Maine · population 39,586 · FIPS 23027
Overall: very low risk
Waldo County has a composite risk score of 40.6 out of 100 — higher than 40% of US counties. It ranks 13 of 16 in Maine (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, ice storm, hurricane.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 5 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 12.04% of Waldo County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Waldo County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Very low 40.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $13.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 46.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 32 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 82.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Waldo County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Relatively high 96 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 89 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 60 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 58 |
| Drought | Relatively low 54 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 39 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 21 |
| Landslide | Very low 60 |
| Earthquake | Very low 42 |
| Hail | Very low 23 |
| Heat wave | Very low 19 |
| Wildfire | Very low 17 |
| Avalanche | Very low 15 |
| Tornado | Very low 15 |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Waldo County
Federal declarations that designated Waldo County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Waldo County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4764-ME (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 20 Mar 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4764-ME | Major disaster | Severe Storms and Flooding | 20 Mar 2024 | Yes |
| DR-4754-ME | Major disaster | Severe Storm and Flooding | 30 Jan 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Maine, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Waldo County, Maine?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Waldo County as very low, with a score of 40.6 out of 100 (higher than 40% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Waldo County?
The hazards rated highest for Waldo County are winter weather (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high), hurricane (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Waldo County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Waldo County as relatively low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Waldo County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Waldo County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4764-ME (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 20 Mar 2024.
Is Waldo County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 12.04% of Waldo County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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