Howard, MD
Howard County in Maryland has 11 FEMA disaster declarations on record covering 1971–2018, most recently Severe Storm and Flooding on Jul 2, 2018 (DR-4376). Its flood risk grade is A (Low risk), ranking #1566 of 3,277 U.S. counties, with 29 NFIP flood insurance claims totaling $1,853,919 in payouts. Flood risk is relatively low compared to the national average.
FEMA Disaster Declarations in Howard County
The 11 most recent federally declared disasters affecting Howard County, MD (1971–2018). Total declarations on record: 11.
| Declared | Incident Type | Title | FEMA Disaster # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 2018 | Flood | Severe Storm and Flooding | DR-4376 |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Flood | Severe Storm and Flooding | DR-4279 |
| Nov 20, 2012 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy | DR-4091 |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy | DR-3349 |
| Oct 5, 2011 | Flood | Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee | DR-4038 |
| Aug 27, 2011 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene | DR-3335 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | DR-3251 |
| Sep 19, 2003 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isabel | DR-1492 |
| Oct 4, 1975 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding | DR-489 |
| Jun 23, 1972 | Flood | Tropical Storm Agnes | DR-341 |
| Aug 17, 1971 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-309 |
Score Breakdown
The composite score of 11 is calculated from four weighted factors. See our methodology for details.
Other Counties in Maryland
| County | Grade | Score | Claims | Disasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett | A | 11 | 2 | 6 |
| Worcester | A | 11 | 11 | 7 |
| Allegany | A | 12 | 13 | 9 |
| Caroline | A | 12 | 1 | 8 |
| Kent | A | 12 | 4 | 9 |
| Carroll | A | 13 | 5 | 10 |
More Counties in Maryland
Frequently Asked Questions
How many FEMA disaster declarations does Howard County, MD have?
Howard County, MD has 11 federal disaster declarations on FEMA record (1971–2018). The 5 most recent are: Severe Storm and Flooding (declared Jul 2, 2018, DR-4376); Severe Storm and Flooding (declared Sep 16, 2016, DR-4279); Hurricane Sandy (declared Nov 20, 2012, DR-4091); Hurricane Sandy (declared Oct 28, 2012, DR-3349); Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (declared Oct 5, 2011, DR-4038). Counts include flood, severe storm, hurricane, and coastal storm declarations from the OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries dataset.
What is the flood risk grade for Howard County, MD?
Howard County is graded A (composite score 11/100, low risk). It ranks #1566 of 3,277 U.S. counties for flood risk in our scoring model. The grade combines NFIP claims density (40%), disaster frequency (25%), claim severity (20%), and year-over-year trend (15%).
How many NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Howard County?
29 NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Howard County, MD, totaling $1,853,919 in payouts. The average claim is $63,928. Source: FEMA FimaNfipClaims v2 dataset.
Has Howard County, MD had any recent flood disasters?
Yes. The most recent FEMA declaration affecting Howard County was Severe Storm and Flooding on Jul 2, 2018 (DR-4376). The county has 11 declared disasters in the OpenFEMA record covering 1971–2018.
The this entity record above pulls directly from FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. flood risk, NFIP claims, and disaster declarations distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA datasets, 2026.