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Maryland · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Caroline County, MD

1 FEMA disaster declarations (2026–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Winter Storm.

1
FEMA declarations
0
Major disasters
46
NRI risk · Relatively Low
Winter Storm
Top hazard

The verdict

Caroline County ranks safer than 46% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 0% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Low, based on 1 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2026, most often winter storm, 74% below the national county average of 4.

Safer than 46%
of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
Relatively Low
FEMA National Risk Index rating
1
FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
1
winter storm declarations, the most common hazard here

FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.

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How does Caroline County compare?

Caroline County vs. every U.S. county

FEMA disaster declarations, all-time

1 0th percentile higher than 0% of 2,791 counties

This county 0 30 all U.S. counties FEMA tracks, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-07-25

Caroline County's FEMA Risk Index score

FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Maryland county average

0/100100/100Maryland avg60/10045.7/100
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Maryland county average

How disaster-prone is Caroline County?

Declaration frequency

Caroline County, Maryland has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2026 and 2026, of which 0 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 11% below the Maryland county average of 1.1 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Winter Storm, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's data shows an elevated National Risk Index composite of 45.7/100 for this county (Relatively Low rating). Expected Annual Loss comes in at Very Low (roughly $12.5M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability (Relatively Moderate) and community resilience (Relatively Moderate) both factor into how that raw exposure plays out on the ground. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Drought stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.

Flood exposure & the bottom line

Taken together, Caroline County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.

Risk Assessment

Risk Level

Very Low

vs. Maryland Avg

-11%

State avg: 1.1

vs. National Avg

-74%

National avg: 3.8

Avg Per Year

-

-

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Caroline County

Caroline County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 8, Flood 25, Hurricane 48, Tornado 8, Wildfire 25, Drought 70, Heat Wave 25, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 32 of 100, classified Moderate. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 32 composite
Caroline County NRI risk profile FIPS 24011 · composite 32/100 (Moderate)
How to read this radar

The radar plots Caroline County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.

FEMA Records

1

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

24011

MD state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Winter Storm 1

Declaration Types

What DR / EM / FM mean

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Emergency - 1 100.0%

of all 1 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Year Declarations
2026 1

Disaster Declarations

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3634 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-24

Storm Events in Maryland

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 4,749 7 49 $116.0M
Winter Weather 1,660 4 26 $95.0K
Flood 1,193 1 0 $1.4M
Flash Flood 979 10 4 $96.3M
Dense Fog 529 0 0 $0

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

Overall Risk

Relatively Low

Score: 45.7/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$12.5M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively Moderate

Community Resilience

Relatively Moderate

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Drought Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Tornado Very Low
Landslide Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in Maryland

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Caroline County, Maryland had?
Caroline County, Maryland has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2026 to 2026.
What is the most common disaster type in Caroline County?
The most common disaster type in Caroline County is Winter Storm, with 1 declaration.
How does Caroline County's disaster risk compare to the Maryland average?
Caroline County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 11% lower than the Maryland county average of 1.1 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Maryland?
The most common storm types in Maryland include Thunderstorm Wind (4,749 events), Winter Weather (1,660 events), Flood (1,193 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Caroline County?
Caroline County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Caroline County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Caroline County, Maryland has an overall risk score of 45.7 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $12.5M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Caroline County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Caroline County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Moderate) and Strong Wind (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology

Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.

Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.

This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.

What this means for Caroline County

Caroline County, MD runs 11% below the Maryland county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 1), a very low historical load overall.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Maryland overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →

Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.