Tannehill Furnace · Photo: Dystopos · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Lake View faces more hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake View gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #93 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then tornadoes (16%). 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 Lake View 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 Lake View’s grade
River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake View, and Lake View’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C #93 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lake View’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lake View has less expected damage per building than 51% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $973K a year in losses across Lake View: $591K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake View flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lake View. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Lake View isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tuscaloosa County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Lake View
Disasters that paid out in Lake View itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lake View), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding17 households applied for aid$613 aid approved
Tuscaloosa County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Lake View after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake View archive →Lake View and its neighbors
Lake View is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCalla | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Lake View | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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.
Get ready for what Lake View 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 Lake View
Is Lake View at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake View has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #93 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Lake View 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 Tuscaloosa County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lake View?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake View’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 Lake View?
By FEMA money that reached Lake View, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 17 households applied for aid, $613 approved.
Is Lake View at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Lake View’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake View.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake View’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.