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Casselman River MarylandPhoto: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Grantsville · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Grantsville

Grantsville isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Grantsville yet.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 10 declared for Garrett County
By hazard

What Grantsville 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

82%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Earthquakes Ice storms Cold waves Lightning Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Grantsville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Grantsville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Grantsville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Garrett County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Grantsville

Disasters that paid out in Grantsville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Grantsville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2012Hurricane Sandy$11K to the Town of Grantsville for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$3K to the Town of Grantsville for repairs
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2003Snow$1K to the Town of Grantsville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GrantsvilleGarrett County only

Garrett County has had 10 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Grantsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Grantsville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Grantsville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Grantsville

Is Grantsville 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 Garrett County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Grantsville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grantsville’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 Grantsville?

By FEMA money that reached Grantsville, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $11K to the Town of Grantsville for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grantsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grantsville’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.