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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Deatsville · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Deatsville than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Deatsville gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 81%Tornadoes 9%Earthquakes 4%

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 66%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 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 21 declared for Elmore County
By hazard

What Deatsville 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

81%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Strong wind Hail Wildfire Ice storms Lightning 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 heat waves at 10% of Deatsville’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Deatsville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Deatsville, and Deatsville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Deatsville sits
Deatsville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Deatsville’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Tornadoes9%Earthquakes4%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $388K a year in losses across Deatsville: $272K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes in 2023, FEMA took 115 aid registrations from Deatsville addresses (the town has 680 homes).
A small-area figure. Deatsville covers 2 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 Deatsville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Deatsville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Deatsville 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
51storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Deatsville

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes115 households applied for aid$424K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  3. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds15 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$40K to the Town of Deatsville for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes and Straight-line$2K to the Town of Deatsville for repairs
  5. 2004Hurricane Ivan70 households applied for aid$125K aid approved$3K to the Town of Deatsville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DeatsvilleElmore 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 Deatsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Deatsville archive →
Next door

Deatsville and its neighbors

Deatsville 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−MillbrookElmoreDeatsville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DeatsvilleCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding0
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 Deatsville 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 ↗
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 Deatsville

Is Deatsville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Deatsville has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Deatsville 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 Deatsville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Deatsville, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2023): 115 households applied for aid, $424K approved.

Is Deatsville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Deatsville’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Deatsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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