Natural hazards · Crisfield

Crisfield, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Crisfield comes from coastal flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 363 claims here since 1979. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Crisfield?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Crisfield to be higher than in 99% of U.S. communities, mostly from coastal flooding.

Coastal flooding81%Hurricanes8%Inland flooding5%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Crisfield faces

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

Coastal flooding

81% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Inland flooding

5% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 2% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Crisfield flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Crisfield, from FEMA’s records.

363paid claims since 1979

$5.9Mpaid to owners

29homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy: 202 claims, $4.4M
Hurricane Floyd: 34 claims, $300K
Hurricane Isabel: 33 claims, $514K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Crisfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Somerset County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

23homes raised above flood level

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Crisfield

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Crisfield itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Crisfield.

Brought FEMA money into CrisfieldDeclared for Somerset County only

2012

Hurricane Sandy

932 households applied for aid $1.8M aid approved $190K to the City of Crisfield for repairs

2011

Hurricane Irene

$34K to the City of Crisfield for repairs

2003

Hurricane Isabel

242 households applied for aid $442K aid approved $42K to the City of Crisfield for repairs

1999

Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations

$85K to the City of Crisfield for repairs

Somerset County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Crisfield is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Crisfield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Crisfield. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.