Natural hazards · Canton

Canton, ME natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Canton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 61 claims here since 1978. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Canton?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Canton to be higher than in 54% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding58%Hurricanes15%Cold waves11%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Canton faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

58% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Canton flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canton, from FEMA’s records.

61paid claims since 1978

$590Kpaid to owners

7homes flooded more than once

19782026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Canton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Oxford County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

105flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Canton

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Canton itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Canton.

Brought FEMA money into CantonDeclared for Oxford County only

2023

Severe Storm and Flooding

21 households applied for aid $78K aid approved $48K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$3K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2005

Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams

$14K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2005

Record Snow

$4K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2005

Snow

$6K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$5K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2003

Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt and Ice Jams

$107K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2003

Snow

$3K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2002

Severe Winter Cold and Frost

$20K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2001

Severe Winter Storms and Flooding

$1K to the Town of Canton for repairs

2001

Snow

$10K to the Town of Canton for repairs

Oxford County has had 33 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Canton

Canton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Cantonmostly inland floodingModerate

Dixfieldmostly inland floodingModerate

Perumostly inland floodingModerate

Hartfordmostly inland floodingModerate

Jaymostly inland floodingModerate

Livermoremostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Canton is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Canton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Canton. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.