Photo: Nonvirtual · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Mount Rainier than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Rainier gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #259 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 5 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 Mount Rainier 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
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 Mount Rainier’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Rainier, and Mount Rainier’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #259 of 261 in Maryland; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mount Rainier’s 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, Mount Rainier has more expected damage per building than 99% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Mount Rainier: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Rainier flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Rainier, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mount Rainier isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Prince George's County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Mount Rainier
Disasters that paid out in Mount Rainier itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Mount Rainier), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel31 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Prince George's County has had 15 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 Mount Rainier after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Rainier archive →Mount Rainier and its neighbors
Mount Rainier is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage City | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hyattsville | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Chillum | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 114 |
| Mount Rainier | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Brentwood | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
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 Mount Rainier 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.
- 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 Mount Rainier
Is Mount Rainier at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Rainier has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #259 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mount Rainier flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Mount Rainier since 1979, $81K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Mount Rainier 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 Prince George's County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Mount Rainier?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Rainier’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 Mount Rainier?
By FEMA money that reached Mount Rainier, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 31 households applied for aid, $17K approved.
Is Mount Rainier at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Mount Rainier’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Rainier.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Rainier’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.