Warfield Complex, Hubner, and T Buildings · Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Eldersburg faces less hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eldersburg gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #141 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%). Flood insurance has paid 5 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 Eldersburg 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
Strong wind
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 Eldersburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eldersburg, and Eldersburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 8%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #141 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Eldersburg’s residents live in 9 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, Eldersburg has more expected damage per building than 54% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across Eldersburg: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Eldersburg flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Eldersburg, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Eldersburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Carroll County.The storms Eldersburg remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Carroll County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Eldersburg itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20202 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Carroll County has had 15 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 Eldersburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Eldersburg archive →Eldersburg and its neighbors
Eldersburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eldersburg | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Sykesville | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Eldersburg 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Eldersburg
Is Eldersburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eldersburg has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #141 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and strong wind (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Eldersburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Eldersburg since 1979, $213K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Eldersburg 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 Carroll County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Eldersburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Eldersburg’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Eldersburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Eldersburg’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eldersburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Eldersburg’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.