Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Riva, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riva gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #62 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then hurricanes (14%). 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 Riva 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
Coastal 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 Riva’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Riva, and Riva’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #62 of 261 in Maryland; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Riva’s residents live in 2 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, Riva has less expected damage per building than 77% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $731K a year in losses across Riva: $533K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Riva flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Riva. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Riva isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Anne Arundel County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Riva
Disasters that paid out in Riva itself (aid to households or repair grants to Riva), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel9 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Anne Arundel County has had 19 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 Riva after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Riva archive →Riva and its neighbors
Riva is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Riva 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Riva
Is Riva at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riva has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #62 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and hurricanes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Riva 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 Anne Arundel County, 2.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Riva?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Riva’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 Riva?
By FEMA money that reached Riva, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 9 households applied for aid, $5K approved.
Is Riva at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Riva’s rate for it is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Riva.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Riva’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.