Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Ridgely’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgely gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (51%), then river and rain flooding (37%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Ridgely faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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 Ridgely’s grade
Hurricanes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ridgely, and Ridgely’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 37% (lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ridgely’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $568K a year in losses across Ridgely: $315K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ridgely flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ridgely. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ridgely isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Caroline County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ridgely
Disasters that paid out in Ridgely itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ridgely), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$24K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$9K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$5K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel2 households applied for aid$797 aid approved$6K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
Show all 7
- 2003Snow$4K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
Caroline County has had 16 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 Ridgely after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ridgely archive →Get ready for what Ridgely faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Ridgely
Is Ridgely at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgely has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (51%) and river and rain flooding (37%). 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 Ridgely 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 Caroline County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ridgely?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ridgely’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 Ridgely?
By FEMA money that reached Ridgely, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $24K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs.
Is Ridgely at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Ridgely’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ridgely.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ridgely’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.