Counties with the most emergency shelters in Maryland

Written by:
January 20, 2023
jerryinocmd // Wikimedia Commons

Counties with the most emergency shelters in Maryland

As climate change drives weather to greater extremes, and devastating hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and blizzards preoccupy an increasing number of Americans, it is hard to avoid comparing the reality of everyday news coverage to the computer-generated images seen in disaster movies.

Over the last 50 years, natural disasters have become five times more common due to climate change, according to the World Meteorological Organization. They've also become more economically debilitating—the five most expensive climate disasters in American history have all taken place over the last two decades.

The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters means that the need for emergency evacuation and shelter plans has never been greater. According to the Federal Emergency Management Association, understanding your climate risk, or proximity to probable natural disaster, is an important first step for making a plan. Tools like the Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation allow you to assess your risk by location.

Knowing where nearby emergency shelters are located is another way to prepare for the worst. In the event of flooding, hurricane-level winds, or other disasters, emergency shelters offer a place to sleep, and also often provide food, water, and first aid services. Stacker examined the Department of Homeland Security's National Shelter System Facilities database to identify the counties with the most emergency shelters in Maryland. Counties are ranked by emergency shelters per 100K people, with total capacity per 100K people serving as a tiebreaker.

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Charlie Stinchcomb // Flickr

#21. Anne Arundel County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 1.7 (10 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 484,634 people (2,830,572 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 3
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Bruce Emmerling // Wikimedia Commons

#20. Baltimore city

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 2.5 (15 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 772,375 people (4,574,088 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 0
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Farragutful // Wikimedia Commons

#19. Carroll County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 2.9 (5 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 754,672 people (1,299,152 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 2
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Preservation Maryland // Wikimedia Commons

#18. Calvert County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 3.2 (3 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 885,537 people (819,255 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 0
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Zrmachuga // Wikimedia Commons

#17. Howard County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 3.3 (11 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 893,007 people (2,940,208 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 0
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Pubdog // Wikimedia Commons

#16. Charles County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 4.2 (7 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 1,342,281 people (2,217,569 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 2
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD // Wikimedia Commons

#15. Harford County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 4.2 (11 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 1,308,420 people (3,390,927 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 0
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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TownCreative // Wikimedia Commons

#14. Montgomery County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 4.6 (49 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 577,368 people (6,103,937 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 25
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 4
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JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. // Wikimedia Commons

#13. Baltimore County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 6.2 (53 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 1,970,670 people (16,764,527 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 0
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Acroterion // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Frederick County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 9.7 (26 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 1,561,558 people (4,177,137 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 9
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Vpuliva // Wikimedia Commons

#11. Washington County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 9.7 (15 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 2,200,023 people (3,387,068 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 2
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Acroterion // Wikimedia Commons

#10. Caroline County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 33.1 (11 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 4,488,166 people (1,491,597 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 0
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Smallbones // Wikimedia Commons

#9. Cecil County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 41.6 (43 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 4,801,322 people (4,963,127 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 12
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Shopkins91 // Wikimedia Commons

#8. Talbot County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 48.0 (18 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 5,529,480 people (2,074,108 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 1
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Eric Fischer // Wikicommons

#7. Wicomico County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 54.3 (56 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 6,937,272 people (7,160,860 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 5
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Delta1989 // Wikimedia Commons

#6. Kent County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 56.9 (11 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 7,717,911 people (1,492,258 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 1
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Eli Pousson // Wikimedia Commons

#5. Dorchester County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 58.5 (19 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 8,964,117 people (2,912,083 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 0
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Linda Roy Walls // Wikimedia Commons

#4. Worcester County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 63.1 (33 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 9,893,905 people (5,176,689 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 2
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 4
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Acroterion // Wikicommons

#3. Allegany County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 68.4 (47 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 9,273,505 people (6,369,414 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 8
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Skye Marthaler // Wikimedia Commons

#2. Garrett County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 76.0 (22 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 11,939,247 people (3,457,009 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 7
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 0
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jerryinocmd // Wikimedia Commons

#1. Somerset County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 76.5 (19 shelters in database)
- Emergency shelter capacity per 100K: 11,689,873 people (2,903,063 total capacity)
- Shelters with generators: 1
- Shelters in 100-year floodplain: 2

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