Less hazard damage per building is expected in Brown Station than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brown Station gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #143 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hurricanes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Brown Station 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 Brown Station’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brown Station, and Brown Station’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #143 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brown Station’s 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, Brown Station has more expected damage per building than 55% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $521K a year in losses across Brown Station: $397K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brown Station flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brown Station. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Brown Station isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Prince George's County.The storms Brown Station remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Prince George's County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brown Station itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Prince George's County has had 15 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.
Brown Station and its neighbors
Brown Station is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westphalia | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Brown Station | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Brock Hall | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Largo | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Marlboro Village | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Brown Station 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 Brown Station
Is Brown Station at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brown Station has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #143 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Brown Station 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 Prince George's County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Brown Station?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brown Station’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Brown Station at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Brown Station’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brown Station.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brown Station’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.