On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Riviera Beach, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riviera Beach gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #19 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then hurricanes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 27 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 stands out about Riviera Beach’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Riviera Beach 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 Riviera Beach’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Riviera Beach, and Riviera Beach’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 4%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #19 of 261 in Maryland; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Riviera Beach’s residents live in 3 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, Riviera Beach has less expected damage per building than 93% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Riviera Beach: $888K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Riviera Beach flood? Sometimes: 27 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Riviera Beach, from FEMA’s records: 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel17 claims · $322K
- Hurricane Fran2 claims · $5K
Riviera Beach 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.The storms Riviera Beach remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Anne Arundel County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Riviera Beach itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200317 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isabel, declared for Anne Arundel County
- 19963 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzard of 96 (severe Snow Storm), declared for Anne Arundel County
- 20242 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Riviera Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Riviera Beach archive →Riviera Beach and its neighbors
Riviera Beach 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasadena | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Riviera Beach | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Riviera Beach 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 Riviera Beach
Is Riviera Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riviera Beach has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #19 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and hurricanes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Riviera Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 27 claims in Riviera Beach since 1979, $450K in all, or 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (17).
Is Riviera Beach 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 Riviera Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Riviera Beach’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 Riviera Beach?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 17 paid, $322K.
Is Riviera Beach at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Riviera Beach’s rate for it is lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Riviera Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Riviera Beach’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.