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Alabama Great Southern Railroad Passenger DepotAlabama Great Southern Railroad Passenger Depot · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Fort Payne · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Fort Payne as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Payne gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #16 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1992.

River and rain flooding 79%Earthquakes 8%Tornadoes 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 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#16 of 187 in Alabama
Hazard risk
B#16 of 187
in Alabama · lower than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
23
paid since 1992 · $926K
Flooded more than once
6
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
9
of 30 declared for DeKalb County

What stands out about Fort Payne’s natural hazards

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

Made safer with FEMA grants67 storm safe rooms built; 14 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 199511 flood claims were paid for 1995 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Fort Payne 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

79%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Hurricanes Wildfire Ice storms Winter storms Landslides top 4% Lightning Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Fort Payne’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Fort Payne’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Payne, and Fort Payne’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 8% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Fort Payne sits
Fort Payne
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #16 of 187 in Alabama; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fort Payne’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Earthquakes8%Tornadoes6%Everything else6%

The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fort Payne has less expected damage per building than 92% of Alabama towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.4M a year in losses across Fort Payne: $4.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Fort Payne covers 5 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 Fort Payne flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1992

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fort Payne, from FEMA’s records: 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1992: 2 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 11 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 3 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199219952014
19922026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Opal5 claims · $80K
  • The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $139K
23
paid claims since 1992
$926K
paid to owners
6
homes flooded more than once
$40K
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

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

Insurance rates: DeKalb County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
67storm safe rooms built
14flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fort Payne

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

  1. 2020Severe Thunderstorms$118K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$68K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding21 households applied for aid$53K aid approved$94K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding497 households applied for aid$787K aid approved
  5. 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding51 households applied for aid$131K aid approved$15K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$8K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Ivan8 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$10K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs
  2. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding28 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$90K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2000Severe Winter Storms$178K to the City of Fort Payne for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fort PayneDeKalb County only

DeKalb County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in DeKalb County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Fort Payne archive →
Next door

Fort Payne and its neighbors

Fort Payne has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Pine Ridge: not gradedValley Head: not gradedHammondville: not gradedPine RidgeValley HeadHammondvilleFort Payne
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Fort PayneBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding23
Pine Ridge—506 residents; we grade 1,000+
Valley Head—669 residents; we grade 1,000+
Hammondville—287 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Fort Payne 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Fort Payne

Is Fort Payne at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Payne has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #16 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and earthquakes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Fort Payne flood?

Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Fort Payne since 1992, $926K in all, or 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Opal (5).

Is Fort Payne 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 DeKalb County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fort Payne?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fort Payne, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 497 households applied for aid, $787K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Opal: 5 paid, $80K.

Is Fort Payne at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Fort Payne’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Payne.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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