Photo: Chris Pruitt · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Bay Minette than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bay Minette gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #172 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (76%), then river and rain flooding (19%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1980.
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 stands out about Bay Minette’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bay Minette faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Bay Minette’s grade
Hurricanes are 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bay Minette, and Bay Minette’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 19% (lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #172 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bay Minette’s residents live in 5 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, Bay Minette has more expected damage per building than 92% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.5M a year in losses across Bay Minette: $6.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bay Minette flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bay Minette, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ivan1 claim · $3K
- Hurricane Georges1 claim · $11K
Bay Minette isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Baldwin County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bay Minette
Disasters that paid out in Bay Minette itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bay Minette), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Sally1,991 households applied for aid$2.3M aid approved$1.7M to the City of Bay Minette for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Nate$7K to the City of Bay Minette for repairs
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding500 households applied for aid$702K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac$10K to the City of Bay Minette for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1,048 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved$162K to the City of Bay Minette for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Dennis484 households applied for aid$262K aid approved$42K to the City of Bay Minette for repairs
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Ivan2,916 households applied for aid$4.3M aid approved$1.4M to the City of Bay Minette for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding341 households applied for aid$508K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Baldwin County has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Bay Minette after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bay Minette archive →Bay Minette and its neighbors
Bay Minette has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Minette | D−more damage than 95% | hurricanes | 7 |
| Stapleton | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | — |
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 Bay Minette faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
- 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 Bay Minette
Is Bay Minette at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bay Minette has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #172 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (76%) and river and rain flooding (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bay Minette flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Bay Minette since 1980, $112K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ivan (1).
Is Bay Minette 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 Baldwin County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bay Minette?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bay Minette’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 Bay Minette?
By FEMA money that reached Bay Minette, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 2,916 households applied for aid, $4.3M approved, and $1.4M to the City of Bay Minette for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ivan: 1 paid, $3K.
Is Bay Minette at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Bay Minette’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bay Minette.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bay Minette’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.