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Wye HouseWye House · Photo: Historic American Buildings Survey · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in St. Michaels · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, St. Michaels faces less hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Michaels gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (30%), then coastal flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 38 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 30%Coastal flooding 29%Hurricanes 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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Maryland · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
30% of expected building damage
Flood claims
38
paid since 1978 · $830K
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
1
of 15 declared for Talbot County

What stands out about St. Michaels’ natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.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 29.0% of the damage it expects.Remembers 200317 flood claims were paid for 2003 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What St. Michaels 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

30%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 98% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Coastal flooding

29%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 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Lightning top 1% Ice storms Hail Winter storms 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 heat waves at 11% of St. Michaels’ expected losses. Heat waves do 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 St. Michaels’ grade

River and rain flooding is 30% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Michaels, and St. Michaels’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 98% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 29%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where St. Michaels sits
St. Michaels
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding30%Coastal flooding29%Hurricanes28%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $409K a year in losses across St. Michaels: $298K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of St. Michaels’ 1,049 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 St. Michaels flood? Sometimes: 38 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Michaels, from FEMA’s records: 46.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 2 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 3 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 2 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 17 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 3 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620032010
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Isabel16 claims · $429K
  • Hurricane Fran3 claims · $77K
  • Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $268
38
paid claims since 1978
$830K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$22K
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

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

Insurance rates: Talbot County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to St. Michaels

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

  1. 2003Hurricane Isabel35 households applied for aid$68K aid approved16 flood claims paid for it, $429K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. MichaelsTalbot County only

Talbot County has had 15 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 St. Michaels after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Michaels archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what St. Michaels 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 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 St. Michaels

Is St. Michaels at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Michaels has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (30%) and coastal flooding (29%). 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 St. Michaels flood?

Flood insurance has paid 38 claims in St. Michaels since 1978, $830K in all, or 46.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (16).

Is St. Michaels 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 Talbot County, 99% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. Michaels?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Michaels’ 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 St. Michaels?

By FEMA money that reached St. Michaels, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 35 households applied for aid, $68K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 16 paid, $429K.

Is St. Michaels at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (30%), and St. Michaels’ rate for it is lower than 98% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Michaels.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Michaels’ 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.