For tornadoes, Cottondale’s building-damage rate is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cottondale gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #25 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then tornadoes (18%). 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 Cottondale 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 Cottondale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cottondale, and Cottondale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #25 of 187 in Alabama; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cottondale’s residents live in 4 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, Cottondale has less expected damage per building than 87% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $980K a year in losses across Cottondale: $619K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cottondale flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cottondale. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cottondale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tuscaloosa County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cottondale
Disasters that paid out in Cottondale itself (aid to households or repair grants to Cottondale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding91 households applied for aid$246K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding501 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina34 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan12 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
Tuscaloosa County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Cottondale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cottondale archive →Cottondale and its neighbors
Cottondale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottondale | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Tuscaloosa | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 111 |
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 Cottondale 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 Cottondale
Is Cottondale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cottondale has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #25 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Cottondale 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 Tuscaloosa County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cottondale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cottondale’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 Cottondale?
By FEMA money that reached Cottondale, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 501 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved.
Is Cottondale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Cottondale’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cottondale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cottondale’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.