Storms, floods and disasters in Dames Quarter
Dames Quarter isn’t graded for hazard risk: Dames Quarter has 226 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 174 claims here since 1984.
What Dames Quarter faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
Wildfire
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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.
Does Dames Quarter flood? Yes: 174 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dames Quarter, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy76 claims · $1.2M
- Hurricane Isabel47 claims · $575K
- Hurricane Floyd6 claims · $53K
Dames Quarter isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Somerset County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dames Quarter
Disasters that paid out in Dames Quarter itself (aid to households or repair grants to Dames Quarter), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy4 households applied for aid$545 aid approved76 flood claims paid for it, $1.2M
- 2003Hurricane Isabel10 households applied for aid$41K aid approved47 flood claims paid for it, $575K
Somerset County has had 9 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 Dames Quarter after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dames Quarter archive →Dames Quarter and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chance | — | 230 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Deal Island | — | 341 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 Dames Quarter faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Dames Quarter
Does Dames Quarter flood?
Flood insurance has paid 174 claims in Dames Quarter since 1984, $2.7M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (76).
Is Dames Quarter 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 Somerset County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 15.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dames Quarter?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dames Quarter’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 Dames Quarter?
By FEMA money that reached Dames Quarter, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 10 households applied for aid, $41K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 76 paid, $1.2M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dames Quarter.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dames Quarter’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.