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St. Mark's Lutheran Elberta Sept 2012 03Photo: Chris Pruitt · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Elberta · FEMA

FEMA puts Elberta’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elberta gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (70%), then river and rain flooding (25%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 1998.

Hurricanes 70%River and rain flooding 25%Coastal flooding 2%

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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Alabama · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
22
paid since 1998 · $1.4M
Flooded more than once
9
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
7
of 31 declared for Baldwin County

What stands out about Elberta’s natural hazards

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

Coastal flooding: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 1.9% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants5 homes raised above flood level; 3 storm safe rooms built; 1 building retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.Remembers 202014 flood claims were paid for 2020 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Elberta faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

70%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

25%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 3% Tornadoes Wildfire Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Elberta’s grade

Hurricanes are 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elberta, and Elberta’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Elberta sits
Elberta
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes70%River and rain flooding25%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Elberta: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Sally in 2020, FEMA took 1,306 aid registrations from Elberta addresses (the town has 1,180 homes) and flood insurance paid 13 claims for $1.2M.
Shared tract.All of Elberta’s 1,974 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 Elberta flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elberta, from FEMA’s records: 18.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% 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: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 4 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 14 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820142020
19982026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Sally13 claims · $1.2M
  • The Mid-spring storms4 claims · $115K
  • Hurricane Ivan1 claim · $31K
22
paid claims since 1998
$1.4M
paid to owners
9
homes flooded more than once
$66K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Baldwin County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5homes raised above flood level
3storm safe rooms built
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elberta

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Sally1,306 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$1.1M to the Town of Elberta for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $1.2M
  2. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding305 households applied for aid$948K aid approved$129K to the Town of Elberta for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2012Hurricane Isaac$3K to the Town of Elberta for repairs
  4. 2005Hurricane Katrina178 households applied for aid$220K aid approved$35K to the Town of Elberta for repairs
  5. 2005Hurricane Dennis60 households applied for aid$18K aid approved$7K to the Town of Elberta for repairs
  6. 2004Hurricane Ivan1,709 households applied for aid$2.5M aid approved$1.4M to the Town of Elberta for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $31K
Show all 7
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$305 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ElbertaBaldwin County only

Baldwin County has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Elberta archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Elberta faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Elberta

Is Elberta at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elberta has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (70%) and river and rain flooding (25%). 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 Elberta flood?

Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Elberta since 1998, $1.4M in all, or 18.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sally (13).

Is Elberta 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 Baldwin County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Elberta?

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

By FEMA money that reached Elberta, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 1,709 households applied for aid, $2.5M approved, and $1.4M to the Town of Elberta for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sally: 13 paid, $1.2M.

Is Elberta at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Elberta’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elberta.

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