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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Burtonsville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Burtonsville, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Burtonsville gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #40 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.

River and rain flooding 72%Hurricanes 13%Earthquakes 5%

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

among the lowestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#40 of 261 in Maryland
Hazard risk
A+#40 of 261
in Maryland · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2014 · $7K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 17 declared for Montgomery County
By hazard

What Burtonsville 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

72%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Lightning Cold waves Winter storms Wildfire Ice storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 11% of Burtonsville’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Burtonsville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Burtonsville, and Burtonsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Burtonsville sits
Burtonsville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #40 of 261 in Maryland; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

Burtonsville’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Hurricanes13%Earthquakes5%Everything else10%

The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Burtonsville has less expected damage per building than 85% of Maryland towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $934K a year in losses across Burtonsville: $702K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Burtonsville covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Burtonsville flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2014

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Burtonsville, 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.

Paid flood claims, by year
2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2014
20142026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $7K
1
paid claims since 2014
$7K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Burtonsville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Montgomery County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Burtonsville

Disasters that paid out in Burtonsville itself (aid to households or repair grants to Burtonsville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2003Hurricane Isabel15 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BurtonsvilleMontgomery County only

Montgomery County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Burtonsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Burtonsville archive →
Next door

Burtonsville and its neighbors

Burtonsville is 3rd of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Fairland: hazard risk A+Ashton-Sandy Spring: hazard risk A+Cloverly: hazard risk A+Scaggsville: hazard risk A+West Laurel: hazard risk A+Spencerville: hazard risk A+Konterra: hazard risk A+FairlandAshton-Sandy SpringCloverlyScaggsvilleWest LaurelSpencervilleKonterraBurtonsville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
KonterraA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding—
West LaurelA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding1
BurtonsvilleA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding1
SpencervilleA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding—
Ashton-Sandy SpringA+among the lowest damageriver and rain flooding—
FairlandA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding7
ScaggsvilleA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding1
CloverlyA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding3

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Burtonsville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Burtonsville

Is Burtonsville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Burtonsville has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #40 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Burtonsville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Burtonsville since 2014, $7K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).

Is Burtonsville 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 Montgomery County, 51% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Burtonsville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Burtonsville’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 Burtonsville?

By FEMA money that reached Burtonsville, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 15 households applied for aid, $6K approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $7K.

Is Burtonsville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Burtonsville’s rate for it is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Burtonsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Burtonsville’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.