Photo: Eric Fischer · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Salisbury than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salisbury gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #237 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (54%), then river and rain flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 69 claims here since 1984.
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 Salisbury’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Salisbury 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 Salisbury’s grade
Hurricanes are 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Salisbury, and Salisbury’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 36% (lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #237 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Salisbury’s residents live in 17 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, Salisbury has more expected damage per building than 91% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.3M a year in losses across Salisbury: $4.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Salisbury flood? Sometimes: 69 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Salisbury, from FEMA’s records: 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy16 claims · $1.1M
- Hurricane Isabel9 claims · $241K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $3K
Salisbury isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wicomico County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Salisbury
Disasters that paid out in Salisbury itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Salisbury), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$101K to the City of Salisbury for repairs16 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
- 2011Hurricane Irene$138K to the City of Salisbury for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$101K to the City of Salisbury for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2003Hurricane Isabel39 households applied for aid$31K aid approved$68K to the City of Salisbury for repairs9 flood claims paid for it, $241K
Wicomico County has had 9 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 Salisbury after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Salisbury archive →Salisbury and its neighbors
Salisbury has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury | A−less damage than 83% | hurricanes | 69 |
| Fruitland | A−less damage than 81% | hurricanes | 1 |
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 Salisbury 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 Salisbury
Is Salisbury at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salisbury has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #237 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (54%) and river and rain flooding (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Salisbury flood?
Flood insurance has paid 69 claims in Salisbury since 1984, $2.9M in all, or 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (16).
Is Salisbury 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 Wicomico County, 35% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Salisbury?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Salisbury’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 Salisbury?
By FEMA money that reached Salisbury, Hurricane Irene (2011): $138K to the City of Salisbury for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 16 paid, $1.1M.
Is Salisbury at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Salisbury’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Salisbury.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Salisbury’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.