Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5Less hazard damage per building is expected in Four Corners than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Four Corners gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #242 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2006.
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 Four Corners 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
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 Four Corners’ grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Four Corners, and Four Corners’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 8% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #242 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Four Corners’ residents live in 4 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, Four Corners has more expected damage per building than 93% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Four Corners: $910K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Four Corners flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Four Corners, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Four Corners isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Montgomery County.The storms Four Corners remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Montgomery County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Four Corners itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20061 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Montgomery County
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20251 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Montgomery County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Four Corners after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Four Corners archive →Four Corners and its neighbors
Four Corners is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Spring | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Hillandale | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Kemp Mill | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Burnt Mills | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Four Corners | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Four Corners 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.
- 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 Four Corners
Is Four Corners at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Four Corners has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #242 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and hurricanes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Four Corners flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Four Corners since 2006, $18K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Four Corners 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 Montgomery County, 51% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Four Corners?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Four Corners’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Four Corners at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Four Corners’ rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Four Corners.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Four Corners’ 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.