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Westernport, MD downtownPhoto: Alainmoscoso · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Westernport · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Westernport than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westernport gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 38 claims here since 1985.

River and rain flooding 91%Hurricanes 2%Hail 2%

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 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Maryland · lower than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
38
paid since 1985 · $2.4M
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
5
of 13 declared for Allegany County

What stands out about Westernport’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.3% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way4 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 199624 flood claims were paid for 1996 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Westernport 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

91%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Hail Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Cold waves top 1% Winter storms Landslides top 3% Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Westernport’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westernport, and Westernport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Westernport sits
Westernport
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $487K a year in losses across Westernport: $440K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Westernport’s 1,812 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with McCoole CDP (449 residents) and Franklin CDP (253 residents) and Dawson CDP (100 residents) and Luke town (85 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Westernport flood? Sometimes: 38 flood claims since 1985

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Westernport, from FEMA’s records: 40.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 5 claims1996: 24 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 7 claims2026: 0 claims199519962025
19852026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Fran22 claims · $731K
38
paid claims since 1985
$2.4M
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$63K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Allegany County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Westernport

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

  1. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$32K to the Town of Westernport for repairs
  2. 2012Hurricane Sandy$4K to the Town of Westernport for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$5K to the Town of Westernport for repairs
  4. 2003Hurricane Isabel2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$8K to the Town of Westernport for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$14K to the Town of Westernport for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WesternportAllegany County only

Allegany 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Westernport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Westernport archive →
Next door

Westernport and its neighbors

Westernport has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Piedmont: not gradedFranklin: not gradedPiedmontFranklinWesternport
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WesternportBless damage than 65%river and rain flooding38
Piedmont—735 residents; we grade 1,000+
Franklin—373 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Westernport 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 ↗
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 Westernport

Is Westernport at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westernport has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Westernport flood?

Flood insurance has paid 38 claims in Westernport since 1985, $2.4M in all, or 40.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Fran (22).

Is Westernport 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 Allegany County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Westernport?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Westernport’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 Westernport?

By FEMA money that reached Westernport, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2016): $32K to the Town of Westernport for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Fran: 22 paid, $731K.

Is Westernport at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Westernport’s rate for it is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westernport.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Westernport’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.