Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Mays Chapel’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mays Chapel gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #184 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 10 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 Mays Chapel 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
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 Mays Chapel’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mays Chapel, and Mays Chapel’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
A #184 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mays Chapel’s residents live in 3 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, Mays Chapel has more expected damage per building than 70% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Mays Chapel: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mays Chapel flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mays Chapel, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mays Chapel isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Baltimore County.The storms Mays Chapel remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Baltimore County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mays Chapel itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19846 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19792 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Baltimore County
- 20041 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Baltimore County has had 19 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 Mays Chapel after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mays Chapel archive →Mays Chapel and its neighbors
Mays Chapel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lutherville | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Timonium | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Towson | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 65 |
| Cockeysville | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 110 |
| Mays Chapel | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Mays Chapel 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.
- 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 Mays Chapel
Is Mays Chapel at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mays Chapel has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #184 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mays Chapel flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Mays Chapel since 1979, $247K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Mays Chapel 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 Baltimore County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Mays Chapel?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mays Chapel’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mays Chapel at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Mays Chapel’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mays Chapel.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mays Chapel’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.