Photo: Pubdog · Public domainFEMA puts Deale’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 90% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Deale gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #219 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%), then coastal flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 209 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Deale’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Deale 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
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
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 Deale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Deale, and Deale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 35%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
A #219 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Deale’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Deale has more expected damage per building than 84% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $840K a year in losses across Deale: $541K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Deale flood? Yes: 209 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Deale, from FEMA’s records: 96.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel168 claims · $4.2M
- Hurricane Fran8 claims · $37K
- Hurricane Debby1 claim · $11K
Deale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Anne Arundel County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Deale
Disasters that paid out in Deale itself (aid to households or repair grants to Deale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel81 households applied for aid$209K aid approved168 flood claims paid for it, $4.2M
Anne Arundel County has had 19 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 Deale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Deale archive →Deale and its neighbors
Deale is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shady Side | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 409 |
| Deale | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 209 |
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 Deale 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Deale
Is Deale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Deale has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #219 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%) and coastal flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Deale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 209 claims in Deale since 1978, $4.6M in all, or 96.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (168).
Is Deale 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 Anne Arundel County, 2.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Deale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Deale’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 Deale?
By FEMA money that reached Deale, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 81 households applied for aid, $209K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 168 paid, $4.2M.
Is Deale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Deale’s rate for it is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Deale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Deale’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.