Photo: SlipperyDude · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Drum Point than in 91% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Drum Point gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #208 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%), then hurricanes (39%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1991.
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 Drum Point 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
Hurricanes
Coastal 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 Drum Point’s grade
River and rain flooding is 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Drum Point, and Drum Point’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A #208 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Drum Point’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, Drum Point has more expected damage per building than 80% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $361K a year in losses across Drum Point: $264K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Drum Point flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Drum Point, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel3 claims · $31K
Drum Point isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Calvert County.The storms Drum Point remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Calvert County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Drum Point itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20033 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isabel, declared for Calvert County
- 19911 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19951 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Calvert 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 Drum Point after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Drum Point archive →Drum Point and its neighbors
Drum Point is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake Ranch Estates | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Drum Point | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Lusby | Aless damage than 90% | hurricanes | — |
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 Drum Point 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Drum Point
Is Drum Point at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Drum Point has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #208 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%) and hurricanes (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Drum Point flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Drum Point since 1991, $178K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (3).
Is Drum Point 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 Calvert County, 63% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Drum Point?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Drum Point’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 Drum Point?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 3 paid, $31K.
Is Drum Point at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Drum Point’s rate for it is lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Drum Point.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Drum Point’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.