Milford’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Milford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 41 claims here since 1978. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Milford’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Milford?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 390 of the 477 Maine towns we cover.
Milford is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Milford faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Winter weather
Does Milford flood? Sometimes: 41 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Milford, from FEMA’s records.
Milford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Penobscot County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Milford
Disasters that paid out in Milford itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Milford) and its biggest flood years.
- 2017Severe Storm and Flooding$6K to the Town of Milford for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding22 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$32K to the Town of Milford for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Snow$5K to the Town of Milford for repairs
- 2005Record And/Or Near Record Snow$6K to the Town of Milford for repairs
- 2001Snow$2K to the Town of Milford for repairs
- 198714 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Penobscot County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Milford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Milford archive →Get ready for what Milford actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
Milford and its neighbors
Milford ranks 2nd calmest of 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 January–March
The month each of Penobscot County’s 19 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 Milford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Milford.
- 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.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Milford.
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.