Cabin John Aqueduct · Photo: Moreau1 · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Cabin John than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cabin John gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 15 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 Cabin John 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 Cabin John’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cabin John, and Cabin John’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cabin John’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $438K a year in losses across Cabin John: $371K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cabin John flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cabin John, from FEMA’s records: 15.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $33K
Cabin John 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.The storms Cabin John remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cabin John itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20193 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20062 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Montgomery County
- 20162 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared for Montgomery County
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.
Old photos of Cabin John after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cabin John archive →Cabin John and its neighbors
Cabin John is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethesda | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Potomac | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Brookmont | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cabin John | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| McLean | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Glen Echo | — | 276 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Cabin John 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 Cabin John
Is Cabin John at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cabin John has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (11%). 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 Cabin John flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Cabin John since 1979, $225K in all, or 15.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is Cabin John 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 Cabin John?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cabin John’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 Cabin John?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $33K.
Is Cabin John at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Cabin John’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cabin John.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cabin John’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.