Photo: Chris Pruitt · CC BY-SA 3.0For tornadoes, Calera’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Calera gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #52 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then tornadoes (23%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1998.
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 Calera 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 Calera’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Calera, and Calera’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 23%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #52 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Calera’s residents live in 7 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, Calera has less expected damage per building than 73% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Calera: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Calera flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Calera, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Calera isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Shelby County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Calera
Disasters that paid out in Calera itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Calera), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes16 households applied for aid$163 aid approved$27K to the City of Calera for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$531 aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Dennis$11K to the City of Calera for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan35 households applied for aid$57K aid approved$20K to the City of Calera for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Shelby County has had 22 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 Shelby County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Calera after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Calera archive →Calera and its neighbors
Calera 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calera | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Alabaster | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 59 |
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 Calera 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 Calera
Is Calera at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Calera has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #52 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and tornadoes (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Calera flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Calera since 1998, $70K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Calera 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 Shelby County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Calera?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Calera’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 Calera?
By FEMA money that reached Calera, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 35 households applied for aid, $57K approved, and $20K to the City of Calera for repairs.
Is Calera at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Calera’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Calera.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Calera’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.