Photo: Calvin Beale · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Chatom than in 90% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chatom gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (46%), then river and rain flooding (38%). 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 Chatom 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
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 Chatom’s grade
Hurricanes are 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chatom, and Chatom’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 8%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Chatom’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $782K a year in losses across Chatom: $566K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chatom flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chatom. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chatom isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chatom
Disasters that paid out in Chatom itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Chatom), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Zeta97 households applied for aid$66K aid approved$28K to the Town of Chatom for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$946 aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina372 households applied for aid$334K aid approved$42K to the Town of Chatom for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Dennis$2K to the Town of Chatom for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan158 households applied for aid$121K aid approved$19K to the Town of Chatom for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding50 households applied for aid$103K aid approved
Washington County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Washington County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Chatom after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chatom archive →Get ready for what Chatom 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.
- 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 Chatom
Is Chatom at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chatom has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (46%) and river and rain flooding (38%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Chatom 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 Washington County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chatom?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chatom’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 Chatom?
By FEMA money that reached Chatom, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 372 households applied for aid, $334K approved, and $42K to the Town of Chatom for repairs.
Is Chatom at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Chatom’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chatom.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chatom’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.