Photo: Bluesnote · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Abingdon’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Abingdon gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #223 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Abingdon faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Abingdon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Abingdon, and Abingdon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts).
A #223 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Abingdon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Abingdon has more expected damage per building than 85% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $992K a year in losses across Abingdon: $728K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Abingdon flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Abingdon, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $10K
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $2K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $2K
Abingdon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Harford County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Abingdon
Disasters that paid out in Abingdon itself (aid to households or repair grants to Abingdon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel23 households applied for aid$70K aid approved
Harford County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Abingdon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Abingdon archive →Abingdon and its neighbors
Abingdon is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Edgewood | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Abingdon | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Bel Air South | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Abingdon faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Abingdon
Is Abingdon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Abingdon has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #223 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and hurricanes (8%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Abingdon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Abingdon since 1979, $19K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Abingdon in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Harford County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Abingdon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Abingdon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Abingdon?
By FEMA money that reached Abingdon, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 23 households applied for aid, $70K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $10K.
Is Abingdon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Abingdon’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Abingdon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Abingdon’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.