Natural hazards · Salisbury

Salisbury, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Salisbury comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 69 claims here since 1984. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Salisbury?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Salisbury to be higher than in 20% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes44%Inland flooding28%Cold waves8%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Salisbury faces

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

Hurricanes

44% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 4% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Salisbury flood?

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

69paid claims since 1984

$2.9Mpaid to owners

9homes flooded more than once

19842026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy: 16 claims, $1.1M
Hurricane Isabel: 9 claims, $241K
Hurricane Floyd: 2 claims, $3K

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

Insurance rates: Wicomico County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1buildings floodproofed

Disasters that hit Salisbury

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SalisburyDeclared for Wicomico County only

2012

Hurricane Sandy

1 household applied for aid $1K aid approved $101K to the City of Salisbury for repairs

2011

Hurricane Irene

$138K to the City of Salisbury for repairs

2010

Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms

$101K to the City of Salisbury for repairs

2003

Hurricane Isabel

39 households applied for aid $31K aid approved $68K to the City of Salisbury for repairs

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

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. Salisbury covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Salisbury’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Salisbury. 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 Salisbury total about $4.8M 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.