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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cottonwood · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Cottonwood faces more hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cottonwood gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (23%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 68%Hurricanes 23%Tornadoes 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 83%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 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1998 · $104K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 23 declared for Houston County
By hazard

What Cottonwood 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

68%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 18% of Cottonwood’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (6.7%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Cottonwood’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cottonwood, and Cottonwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 23% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Cottonwood sits
Cottonwood
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Cottonwood’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Hurricanes23%Tornadoes7%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $527K a year in losses across Cottonwood: $350K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Cottonwood’s 1,048 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Cottonwood flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cottonwood, from FEMA’s records: 8.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 3 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 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 claims199820092013
19982026
5
paid claims since 1998
$104K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$21K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Houston County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cottonwood

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

  1. 2018Hurricane Michael$6K to the Town of Cottonwood for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$11K to the Town of Cottonwood for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes and Straight-line24 households applied for aid$94K aid approved$9K to the Town of Cottonwood for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2005Hurricane Dennis$10K to the Town of Cottonwood for repairs
  5. 2004Hurricane Ivan5 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$7K to the Town of Cottonwood for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CottonwoodHouston County only

Houston County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cottonwood archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Cottonwood 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 ↗
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 Cottonwood

Is Cottonwood at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cottonwood has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (23%). 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.

Does Cottonwood flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Cottonwood since 1998, $104K in all, or 8.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Cottonwood 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 Houston County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cottonwood?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cottonwood, Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes and Straight-line (2009): 24 households applied for aid, $94K approved, and $9K to the Town of Cottonwood for repairs.

Is Cottonwood at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Cottonwood’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cottonwood.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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