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Maryland - Point of Rocks through SalisburyPhoto: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domain
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Point of Rocks · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Point of Rocks than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Point of Rocks 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 (78%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 78%Hurricanes 7%Tornadoes 6%

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

less than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in Maryland · lower than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 19 declared for Frederick County

What stands out about Point of Rocks’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 98% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way6 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Point of Rocks 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

78%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Ice storms Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Point of Rocks’ grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Point of Rocks, and Point of Rocks’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 7% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Point of Rocks sits
Point of Rocks
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Point of Rocks’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Hurricanes7%Tornadoes6%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $457K a year in losses across Point of Rocks: $280K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Point of Rocks’ 1,886 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Point of Rocks flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Point of Rocks. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Point of Rocks isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Frederick County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
6flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

The storms Point of Rocks remembers

None of the 19 disasters declared for Frederick County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Point of Rocks itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Point of RocksFrederick County only

Frederick 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Point of Rocks faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Point of Rocks

Is Point of Rocks at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Point of Rocks 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 (78%) and hurricanes (7%). 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 Point of Rocks 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 Frederick County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Point of Rocks?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Point of Rocks’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Point of Rocks at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Point of Rocks’ rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Point of Rocks.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Point of Rocks’ 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.