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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Clear Spring · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Clear Spring

Clear Spring isn’t graded for hazard risk: Clear Spring has 342 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for Washington County
By hazard

What Clear Spring 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 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Landslides top 4% Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Ice storms Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 8% of Clear Spring’s expected losses. Drought does 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Clear Spring flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Clear Spring. 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

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clear Spring

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

  1. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Clear Spring for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$15K to the Town of Clear Spring for repairs
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  4. 2003Snow$6K to the Town of Clear Spring for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Clear SpringWashington County only

Washington County has had 13 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Clear Spring archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Clear Spring 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 Clear Spring

Is Clear Spring 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 Washington County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clear Spring?

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

By FEMA money that reached Clear Spring, Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms (2010): $15K to the Town of Clear Spring for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clear Spring.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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