FEMA puts Herald Harbor’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Herald Harbor gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then hurricanes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Herald Harbor 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 Herald Harbor’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Herald Harbor, and Herald Harbor’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Herald Harbor’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $386K a year in losses across Herald Harbor: $267K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Herald Harbor flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Herald Harbor. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Herald Harbor isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Anne Arundel County.The storms Herald Harbor remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Anne Arundel County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Herald Harbor itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Anne Arundel 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.
Herald Harbor and its neighbors
Herald Harbor is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crownsville | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Arden on the Severn | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Severna Park | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Herald Harbor | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Herald Harbor 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 Herald Harbor
Is Herald Harbor at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Herald Harbor has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and hurricanes (14%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Herald Harbor 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 Anne Arundel County, 2.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Herald Harbor?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Herald Harbor’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Herald Harbor at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Herald Harbor’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Herald Harbor.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Herald Harbor’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.