 About 1 @.@ 24 million people lost power throughout Maryland and Washington , D.C. The worst of Isabel 's effects came from its storm surge , which inundated areas along the coast and resulted in severe beach erosion . In Eastern Maryland , hundreds of buildings were damaged or destroyed by the storm surge and related tidal flooding . The most severe flooding occurred in the southern portions of Dorchester and Somerset counties and on Kent Island in Queen Anne 's County . Thousands of houses were affected in Central Maryland , with severe storm surge flooding reported in Baltimore and Annapolis . Washington , D.C. sustained moderate damage , primarily from the winds . Throughout Maryland and Washington , damage totaled about $ 945 million ( 2003 USD , $ 1 @.@ 22 billion 2016 USD ) , with only one direct fatality due to flooding . 
