Photo: Jccohen at English Wikipedia · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Bowleys Quarters than in 72% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bowleys Quarters gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #247 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then coastal flooding (37%). Flood insurance has paid 85 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Bowleys Quarters’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bowleys Quarters 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
Coastal 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 Bowleys Quarters’ grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bowleys Quarters, and Bowleys Quarters’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 37%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #247 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bowleys Quarters’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bowleys Quarters has more expected damage per building than 95% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Bowleys Quarters: $948K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bowleys Quarters flood? Sometimes: 85 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bowleys Quarters, from FEMA’s records: 28.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel60 claims · $3.2M
- Hurricane Fran4 claims · $14K
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $25K
Bowleys Quarters isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Baltimore County.The storms Bowleys Quarters remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Baltimore County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bowleys Quarters itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200362 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isabel, declared for Baltimore County
- 19799 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Baltimore County
- 20245 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Baltimore County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bowleys Quarters after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bowleys Quarters archive →Bowleys Quarters and its neighbors
Bowleys Quarters is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle River | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 119 |
| Essex | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
| Bowleys Quarters | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 85 |
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 Bowleys Quarters 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bowleys Quarters
Is Bowleys Quarters at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bowleys Quarters has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #247 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and coastal flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bowleys Quarters flood?
Flood insurance has paid 85 claims in Bowleys Quarters since 1978, $3.4M in all, or 28.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (60).
Is Bowleys Quarters 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 Baltimore County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Bowleys Quarters?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bowleys Quarters’ 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 Bowleys Quarters?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 60 paid, $3.2M.
Is Bowleys Quarters at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Bowleys Quarters’ rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bowleys Quarters.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bowleys Quarters’ 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.