Photo: Hawkeye58 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Dundalk than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dundalk gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #78 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then hurricanes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 302 claims here since 1979.
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 Dundalk’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Dundalk 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
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
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 Dundalk’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dundalk, and Dundalk’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 4%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #78 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dundalk’s residents live in 21 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, Dundalk has less expected damage per building than 70% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.4M a year in losses across Dundalk: $5.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dundalk flood? Yes: 302 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dundalk, from FEMA’s records: 11.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel239 claims · $5.6M
- Hurricane Fran5 claims · $24K
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $30K
Dundalk isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Baltimore County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Dundalk
Disasters that paid out in Dundalk itself (aid to households or repair grants to Dundalk), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel1,114 households applied for aid$3.2M aid approved239 flood claims paid for it, $5.6M
Baltimore County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Dundalk after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dundalk archive →Dundalk and its neighbors
Dundalk has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 302 |
| Essex | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
| Baltimore | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 763 |
| Rosedale | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Edgemere | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 246 |
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 Dundalk 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Dundalk
Is Dundalk at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dundalk has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #78 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and hurricanes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dundalk flood?
Flood insurance has paid 302 claims in Dundalk since 1979, $6.1M in all, or 11.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (239).
Is Dundalk 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 Baltimore County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Dundalk?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dundalk’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 Dundalk?
By FEMA money that reached Dundalk, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 1,114 households applied for aid, $3.2M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 239 paid, $5.6M.
Is Dundalk at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Dundalk’s rate for it is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dundalk.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dundalk’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.