Severna Park is calmer than 96% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Severna Park comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 36 claims here since 1979. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Severna Park’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Severna Park?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 4% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 390 of the 536 Maryland towns we cover.
Severna Park covers 9 census tracts, combined by population.
Does Severna Park flood? Sometimes: 36 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Severna Park, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Isabel11 claims · $344K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $5K
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $4K
Severna Park isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Anne Arundel County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Severna Park
Disasters that paid out in Severna Park itself (aid to households or repair grants to Severna Park) and its biggest flood years.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel62 households applied for aid$116K aid approved12 flood claims paid that year
Anne Arundel County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.
Old photos of Severna Park after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Severna Park archive →What Severna Park faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Heat waves
Get ready for what Severna Park actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Severna Park and its neighbors
Severna Park ranks 6th calmest of 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severna Park | Very low | inland flooding | 36 |
| Arden on the Severn | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Herald Harbor | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Lake Shore | Very low | inland flooding | 110 |
| Pasadena | Very low | inland flooding | 5 |
| Arnold | Very low | inland flooding | 29 |
| Glen Burnie | Very low | inland flooding | 27 |
| Gambrills | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in January–February
The month each of Anne Arundel County’s 20 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Severna Park’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Severna Park.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Severna Park, expected losses total about $6.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Severna Park.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.