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Eclectic, Alabama DowntownPhoto: Rivers Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Eclectic · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Eclectic than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eclectic gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 72%Tornadoes 13%Hurricanes 6%

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

less than 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Alabama · lower than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 21 declared for Elmore County

What stands out about Eclectic’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 64% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants17 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Eclectic 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

72%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 18 years in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Hail 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 11% of Eclectic’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 Eclectic’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eclectic, and Eclectic’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Eclectic sits
Eclectic
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Tornadoes13%Hurricanes6%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $262K a year in losses across Eclectic: $183K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Eclectic’s 1,193 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 Eclectic flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Eclectic. 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

Eclectic 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
17storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Eclectic

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes10 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding183 households applied for aid$552K aid approved$24K to the Town of Eclectic for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2005Hurricane Dennis$2K to the Town of Eclectic for repairs
  5. 2004Hurricane Ivan52 households applied for aid$62K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EclecticElmore 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 Eclectic after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Eclectic archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Eclectic 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Eclectic

Is Eclectic at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eclectic has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (13%). 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 Eclectic 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 Eclectic?

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

By FEMA money that reached Eclectic, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 183 households applied for aid, $552K approved, and $24K to the Town of Eclectic for repairs.

Is Eclectic at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Eclectic’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eclectic.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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