Mount Aventine · Photo: Kenneth Gray · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Bryans Road faces less hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bryans Road gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #95 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2013.
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 Bryans Road 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
Earthquakes
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 Bryans Road’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bryans Road, and Bryans Road’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #95 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bryans Road’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, Bryans Road has less expected damage per building than 64% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $985K a year in losses across Bryans Road: $693K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bryans Road flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bryans Road, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bryans Road isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Charles County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bryans Road
Disasters that paid out in Bryans Road itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bryans Road), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel13 households applied for aid$51K aid approved
Charles County has had 19 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 Bryans Road after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bryans Road archive →Bryans Road and its neighbors
Bryans Road is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac Heights | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bryans Road | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bensville | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Accokeek | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Bryans Road 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Bryans Road
Is Bryans Road at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bryans Road has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #95 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bryans Road flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bryans Road since 2013, $19K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bryans Road 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 Charles County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bryans Road?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bryans Road’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 Bryans Road?
By FEMA money that reached Bryans Road, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 13 households applied for aid, $51K approved.
Is Bryans Road at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Bryans Road’s rate for it is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bryans Road.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bryans Road’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.