Photo: Pubdog · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Shady Side than in 90% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shady Side gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #218 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then coastal flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 409 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 Shady Side’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Shady Side 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
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
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 Shady Side’s grade
River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shady Side, and Shady Side’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 35%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
A #218 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shady Side’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Shady Side has more expected damage per building than 83% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Shady Side: $692K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shady Side flood? Yes: 409 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shady Side, from FEMA’s records: 173.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel338 claims · $8.6M
- Hurricane Fran10 claims · $67K
- Hurricane Floyd4 claims · $14K
Shady Side 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 Shady Side
Disasters that paid out in Shady Side itself (aid to households or repair grants to Shady Side), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel311 households applied for aid$807K aid approved338 flood claims paid for it, $8.6M
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 Shady Side after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shady Side archive →Shady Side and its neighbors
Shady Side is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galesville | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Shady Side | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 409 |
| Deale | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 209 |
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 Shady Side 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Shady Side
Is Shady Side at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shady Side has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #218 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and coastal flooding (35%). 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 Shady Side flood?
Flood insurance has paid 409 claims in Shady Side since 1979, $9.2M in all, or 173.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (338).
Is Shady Side 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 Shady Side?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shady Side’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 Shady Side?
By FEMA money that reached Shady Side, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 311 households applied for aid, $807K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 338 paid, $8.6M.
Is Shady Side at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Shady Side’s rate for it is lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shady Side.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shady Side’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.