Photo: Pubdog · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Savage than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Savage gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #2 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), 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 Savage 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 Savage’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Savage, and Savage’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 99% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #2 of 261 in Maryland; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Savage’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, Savage has less expected damage per building than 100% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Savage: $857K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Savage flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Savage. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Savage isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Howard County.The storms Savage remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Howard County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Savage itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Howard County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Savage and its neighbors
Savage is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jessup | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Savage | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| North Laurel | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Columbia | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 25 |
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 Savage 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 Savage
Is Savage at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Savage has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #2 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and hurricanes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Savage 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 Howard County, 94% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Savage?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Savage’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Savage at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Savage’s rate for it is lower than 99% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Savage.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Savage’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.