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Main Street DentistPhoto: Captain Bluecrab · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Rock Hall · FEMA

For coastal flooding, Rock Hall’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rock Hall gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (34%), then hurricanes (28%). Flood insurance has paid 113 claims here since 1978.

Coastal flooding 34%Hurricanes 28%River and rain flooding 28%

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 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Maryland · lower than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Coastal flooding
34% of expected building damage
Flood claims
113
paid since 1978 · $3.8M
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 16 declared for Kent County

What stands out about Rock Hall’s natural hazards

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

113 paid flood claims since 1978$3.8M in all; 4 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 97% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 33.5% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way2 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 200390 flood claims were paid for 2003 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Rock Hall faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Coastal flooding

34%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

River and rain flooding

28%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Tornadoes Wildfire Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 8% of Rock Hall’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Rock Hall’s grade

Coastal flooding is 34% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rock Hall, and Rock Hall’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 28% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rock Hall sits
Rock Hall
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Coastal flooding34%Hurricanes28%River and rain flooding28%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $514K a year in losses across Rock Hall: $356K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Rock Hall’s 1,198 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Edesville CDP (169 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Rock Hall flood? Yes: 113 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rock Hall, from FEMA’s records: 121.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 7 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 3 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 4 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 90 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 3 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919992003
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Isabel86 claims · $3.0M
  • Hurricane Floyd4 claims · $6K
  • Hurricane Fran1 claim · $447
113
paid claims since 1978
$3.8M
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Kent County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2homes raised above flood level
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rock Hall

Disasters that paid out in Rock Hall itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Rock Hall), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Rock Hall for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$7K to the Town of Rock Hall for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Town of Rock Hall for repairs
  4. 2003Hurricane Isabel236 households applied for aid$767K aid approved$85K to the Town of Rock Hall for repairs86 flood claims paid for it, $3.0M
  5. 2003Snow$3K to the Town of Rock Hall for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Winter Storm$2K to the Town of Rock Hall for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Rock HallKent County only

Kent 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Rock Hall after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rock Hall archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Rock Hall 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 tide surges
  • 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.
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Rock Hall

Is Rock Hall at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rock Hall has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (34%) and hurricanes (28%). 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 Rock Hall flood?

Flood insurance has paid 113 claims in Rock Hall since 1978, $3.8M in all, or 121.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (86).

Is Rock Hall 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 Kent County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rock Hall?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rock Hall’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 Rock Hall?

By FEMA money that reached Rock Hall, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 236 households applied for aid, $767K approved, and $85K to the Town of Rock Hall for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 86 paid, $3.0M.

Is Rock Hall at risk from coastal flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (34%), and Rock Hall’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rock Hall.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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