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National 4-H Youth Conference Center where Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke with National Youth Leadership, on Monday, April 8, 2013, in Chevy Chase, MDPhoto: USDAgov · Public domain
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Chevy Chase · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Chevy Chase than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chevy Chase 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 (72%), then hurricanes (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 72%Hurricanes 12%Earthquakes 6%

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

less than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#95 of 261 in Maryland
Hazard risk
A+#95 of 261
in Maryland · lower than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 17 declared for Montgomery County
By hazard

What Chevy Chase 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 91% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Strong wind Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Ice storms Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Chevy Chase’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chevy Chase, and Chevy Chase’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 12% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Chevy Chase sits
Chevy Chase
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #95 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Chevy Chase’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Hurricanes12%Earthquakes6%Everything else10%

The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Chevy Chase has less expected damage per building than 64% of Maryland towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $473K a year in losses across Chevy Chase: $396K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Chevy Chase’s 2,904 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Chevy Chase flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chevy Chase. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Chevy Chase 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

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chevy Chase

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

  1. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$76K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$39K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$25K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs
  5. 2003Hurricane Isabel14 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$44K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs
  6. 2003Snow$14K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2000Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Chevy ChaseMontgomery 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 Chevy Chase after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Chevy Chase archive →
Next door

Chevy Chase and its neighbors

Chevy Chase has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bethesda: hazard risk A+Chevy Chase: hazard risk A+BethesdaChevy ChaseChevy Chase
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Chevy ChaseA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding0
BethesdaA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding55
Chevy ChaseA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding6

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 Chevy Chase 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Chevy Chase

Is Chevy Chase at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chevy Chase 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 (72%) and hurricanes (12%). 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.

Is Chevy Chase 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 Chevy Chase?

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

By FEMA money that reached Chevy Chase, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2016): $76K to the Town of Chevy Chase for repairs.

Is Chevy Chase at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Chevy Chase’s rate for it is lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chevy Chase.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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