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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ridgely · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ridgely faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgely gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (70%), then river and rain flooding (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.

Earthquakes 70%River and rain flooding 19%Tornadoes 6%

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Tennessee · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2011 · $8K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 15 declared for Lake County
By hazard

What Ridgely faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

70%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

19%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Strong wind Hail Winter storms top 2% Hurricanes Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Ridgely’s expected losses. Cold 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 Ridgely’s grade

Earthquakes are 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ridgely, and Ridgely’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 6%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ridgely sits
Ridgely
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes70%River and rain flooding19%Tornadoes6%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Ridgely: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ridgely’s 1,690 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 Ridgely flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ridgely, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 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: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2011
20112026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $8K
1
paid claims since 2011
$8K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lake County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
1storm safe room built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ridgely

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding36 households applied for aid$404K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding54 households applied for aid$51K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$49K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$4K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$6K to the Town of Ridgely for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RidgelyLake County only

Lake County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ridgely archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ridgely faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Ridgely

Is Ridgely at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgely has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (70%) and river and rain flooding (19%). 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 Ridgely flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Ridgely since 2011, $8K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).

Is Ridgely 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 Lake County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ridgely?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ridgely, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2025): 36 households applied for aid, $404K approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $8K.

Is Ridgely at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Ridgely’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ridgely.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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