Photo: SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Goodwater faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goodwater gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Goodwater 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
Tornadoes
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.
What’s behind Goodwater’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Goodwater, and Goodwater’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
B− lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Goodwater’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $391K a year in losses across Goodwater: $269K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Goodwater flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Goodwater. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Goodwater isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Coosa County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Goodwater
Disasters that paid out in Goodwater itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Goodwater), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$126K to the Town of Goodwater for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding34 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan25 households applied for aid$32K aid approved$2K to the Town of Goodwater for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Coosa County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Goodwater after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Goodwater archive →Get ready for what Goodwater faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Goodwater
Is Goodwater at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goodwater has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) 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 Goodwater 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 Coosa County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Goodwater?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Goodwater’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 Goodwater?
By FEMA money that reached Goodwater, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2020): $126K to the Town of Goodwater for repairs.
Is Goodwater at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Goodwater’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Goodwater.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Goodwater’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.