Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Attalla faces more hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Attalla gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #146 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Attalla faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Attalla’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Attalla, and Attalla’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #146 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Attalla’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Attalla has more expected damage per building than 78% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Attalla: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Attalla flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Attalla, from FEMA’s records: 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Attalla isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Etowah County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Attalla
Disasters that paid out in Attalla itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Attalla), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding48 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan29 households applied for aid$44K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$13K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Etowah County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Etowah County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Attalla after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Attalla archive →Attalla and its neighbors
Attalla is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Attalla | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Attalla faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Attalla
Is Attalla at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Attalla has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #146 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Attalla flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Attalla since 1979, $99K in all, or 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Attalla in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Etowah County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Attalla?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Attalla’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Attalla?
By FEMA money that reached Attalla, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 29 households applied for aid, $44K approved.
Is Attalla at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Attalla’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Attalla.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Attalla’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.