Norris-Stirling House · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Pleasant Hills’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Hills gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #148 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1978.
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 Pleasant Hills 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
Earthquakes
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 Pleasant Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pleasant Hills, and Pleasant Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #148 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pleasant Hills’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pleasant Hills has more expected damage per building than 57% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $872K a year in losses across Pleasant Hills: $609K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pleasant Hills flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pleasant Hills, from FEMA’s records: 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pleasant Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Harford County.The storms Pleasant Hills remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Harford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pleasant Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19797 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19802 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Harford County has had 15 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 Pleasant Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pleasant Hills archive →Pleasant Hills and its neighbors
Pleasant Hills is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsville | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pleasant Hills | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
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 Pleasant Hills 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Pleasant Hills
Is Pleasant Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Hills has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #148 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and hurricanes (13%). 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.
Does Pleasant Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Pleasant Hills since 1978, $53K in all, or 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Pleasant Hills 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 Harford County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pleasant Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pleasant Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pleasant Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Pleasant Hills’ rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pleasant Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pleasant Hills’ 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.