Natural hazards · Fort Washington

Fort Washington, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Fort Washington comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1980. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Fort Washington?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Fort Washington to be higher than in 11% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding63%Hurricanes9%Heat waves8%Tornadoes7%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Fort Washington faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Heat waves

8% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 3% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 32% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold 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 Fort Washington flood?

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

45paid claims since 1980

$1.3Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19802026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 3 claims, $13K
Hurricane Isabel: 2 claims, $140K
Tropical Storm Bill: 1 claim, $6K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Prince George's County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

15flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Fort Washington

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Fort Washington itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Fort Washington.

Brought FEMA money into Fort WashingtonDeclared for Prince George's County only

2003

Hurricane Isabel

338 households applied for aid $379K aid approved

Prince George's County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

Around Fort Washington

Fort Washington and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Fort Washingtonmostly inland floodingVery low

Oxon Hillmostly inland floodingVery low

Clintonmostly inland floodingVery low

Friendlymostly inland floodingVery low

Accokeekmostly inland floodingVery low

National Harbormostly inland floodingVery low

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. Fort Washington covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Fort Washington’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Fort Washington. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Fort Washington total about $3.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.