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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Coosada · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Coosada than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coosada gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 8%Earthquakes 7%

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

more than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Alabama · higher than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2005 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 21 declared for Elmore County
By hazard

What Coosada 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

80%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Hail Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Coosada’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coosada, and Coosada’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Coosada sits
Coosada
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Coosada’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Tornadoes8%Earthquakes7%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $450K a year in losses across Coosada: $344K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Coosada covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Coosada flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Coosada, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2005
20052026
1
paid claims since 2005
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Coosada isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Elmore County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Coosada

Disasters that paid out in Coosada itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Coosada), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$6K to the Town of Coosada for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds16 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Ivan51 households applied for aid$58K aid approved$11K to the Town of Coosada for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CoosadaElmore County only

Elmore County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Coosada after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Coosada archive →
Next door

Coosada and its neighbors

Coosada has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Millbrook: hazard risk C−Elmore: hazard risk C−MillbrookElmoreCoosada
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CoosadaCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding1
ElmoreC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding—
MillbrookC−more damage than 79%river and rain flooding8

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Coosada faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Coosada

Is Coosada at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coosada has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Coosada flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Coosada since 2005, $3K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Coosada 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 Elmore County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Coosada?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coosada’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 Coosada?

By FEMA money that reached Coosada, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 51 households applied for aid, $58K approved, and $11K to the Town of Coosada for repairs.

Is Coosada at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Coosada’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coosada.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coosada’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.