Photo: Pubdog · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Highland Beach
Highland Beach isn’t graded for hazard risk: Highland Beach has 107 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2003.
What Highland Beach 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
Coastal flooding
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.
Does Highland Beach flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2003
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highland Beach, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Isabel5 claims · $150K
Highland Beach 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Highland Beach
Disasters that paid out in Highland Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Highland Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$2K to the Town of Highland Beach for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$975 to the Town of Highland Beach for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel$67K to the Town of Highland Beach for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $150K
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.
Old photos of Highland Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Highland Beach archive →Highland Beach and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annapolis Neck | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 226 |
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 Highland Beach 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.
- 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.
- 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 Highland Beach
Does Highland Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Highland Beach since 2003, $187K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (5).
Is Highland Beach 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 Highland Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Highland Beach’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 Highland Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Highland Beach, Hurricane Isabel (2003): $67K to the Town of Highland Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 5 paid, $150K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highland Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Highland Beach’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.