Harpswell’s biggest natural hazard is coastal flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Harpswell comes from coastal flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1978. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Harpswell’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
What Harpswell faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
How exposed is Harpswell?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 31% of U.S. communities, mostly from coastal flooding and inland flooding.
Calmer than 316 of the 477 Maine towns we cover.
Harpswell covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Does Harpswell flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harpswell, from FEMA’s records.
- The April 2007 nor’easter5 claims · $30K
- The “Halloween” storm4 claims · $25K
Harpswell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cumberland County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Harpswell
Disasters that paid out in Harpswell itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Harpswell) and its biggest flood years.
- 2024Severe Winter Storm$10K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding86 households applied for aid$90K aid approved$655K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$7K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$3K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$5K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$3K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs
Show all 8
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$11K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding59 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$37K to the Town of Harpswell for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
Cumberland County has had 33 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Harpswell after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Harpswell archive →Get ready for what Harpswell actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Harpswell and its neighbors
Harpswell has the highest rating of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harpswell | Low | coastal flooding | 20 |
| West Bath | Low | coastal flooding | 3 |
| Phippsburg | Low | coastal flooding | 21 |
| Chebeague Island | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Brunswick | Very low | inland flooding | 3 |
| Freeport | Very low | inland flooding | 3 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in February–April
The month each of Cumberland County’s 33 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Harpswell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Harpswell.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Harpswell, expected losses total about $1.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harpswell.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.