Dickinson House · Photo: Altairisfar · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Grove Hill than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grove Hill gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (51%), then river and rain flooding (36%). 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 Grove Hill faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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 Grove Hill’s grade
Hurricanes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grove Hill, and Grove Hill’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 9%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Grove Hill’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $956K a year in losses across Grove Hill: $696K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Grove Hill flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Grove Hill. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Grove Hill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clarke County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Grove Hill
Disasters that paid out in Grove Hill itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Grove Hill), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Zeta362 households applied for aid$414K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding54 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina296 households applied for aid$529K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan731 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding95 households applied for aid$81K aid approved
Clarke County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Grove Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grove Hill archive →Get ready for what Grove Hill faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Grove Hill
Is Grove Hill at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grove Hill has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (51%) and river and rain flooding (36%). 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 Grove Hill 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 Clarke County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Grove Hill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grove Hill’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 Grove Hill?
By FEMA money that reached Grove Hill, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 731 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved.
Is Grove Hill at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Grove Hill’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grove Hill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grove Hill’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.