Cornwall Furnace · Photo: Thomson200 · CC0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Cedar Bluff than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cedar Bluff gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Cedar Bluff 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
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 Cedar Bluff’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cedar Bluff, and Cedar Bluff’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 7%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cedar Bluff’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Cedar Bluff: $791K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cedar Bluff flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cedar Bluff. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cedar Bluff isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cherokee County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cedar Bluff
Disasters that paid out in Cedar Bluff itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cedar Bluff), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$19K to the Town of Cedar Bluff for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding79 households applied for aid$15K aid approved$2K to the Town of Cedar Bluff for repairs
Cherokee County has had 21 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 Cherokee County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Cedar Bluff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cedar Bluff archive →Get ready for what Cedar Bluff 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.
- 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 Cedar Bluff
Is Cedar Bluff at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cedar Bluff has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Cedar Bluff 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 Cherokee County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cedar Bluff?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cedar Bluff’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 Cedar Bluff?
By FEMA money that reached Cedar Bluff, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2019): $19K to the Town of Cedar Bluff for repairs.
Is Cedar Bluff at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Cedar Bluff’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cedar Bluff.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cedar Bluff’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.