FEMA puts Delmar’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delmar gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #230 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (56%), then river and rain flooding (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Delmar faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
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.
What’s behind Delmar’s grade
Hurricanes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Delmar, and Delmar’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 35% (lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts).
A #230 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Delmar’s residents live in 2 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, Delmar has more expected damage per building than 88% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $757K a year in losses across Delmar: $531K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Delmar flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Delmar. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Delmar isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wicomico County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Delmar
Disasters that paid out in Delmar itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Delmar), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Hurricane Irene$2K to the Town of Delmar for repairs
Wicomico 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 Delmar after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Delmar archive →Delmar and its neighbors
Delmar has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delmar | Aless damage than 86% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Delmar | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Delmar faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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 Delmar
Is Delmar at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delmar has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #230 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (56%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Delmar 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 Wicomico County, 35% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Delmar?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Delmar’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 Delmar?
By FEMA money that reached Delmar, Hurricane Irene (2011): $2K to the Town of Delmar for repairs.
Is Delmar at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Delmar’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Delmar.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Delmar’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.