Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in St. James than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. James gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #156 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (17%). 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 St. James 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
Tornadoes
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 St. James’ grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. James, and St. James’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 17% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #156 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of St. James’ 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, St. James has more expected damage per building than 60% of Maryland towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $802K a year in losses across St. James: $569K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. James flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in St. James. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
St. James isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.The storms St. James remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Washington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. James itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Washington County has had 13 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.
Get ready for what St. James 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 St. James
Is St. James at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. James has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #156 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (17%). 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.
Is St. James 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 Washington County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in St. James?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. James’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is St. James at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and St. James’ rate for it is lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. James.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. James’ 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.