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Lanett, Alabama FountainPhoto: Rivers Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lanett · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Lanett 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, Lanett gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #40 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 77%Tornadoes 11%Hurricanes 5%

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 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#40 of 187 in Alabama
Hazard risk
B−#40 of 187
in Alabama · higher than 53% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 2003 · $260K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 20 declared for Chambers County
By hazard

What Lanett 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

77%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 13% of Lanett’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Lanett’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lanett, and Lanett’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Lanett sits
Lanett
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #40 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Lanett’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Tornadoes11%Hurricanes5%Everything else7%

The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lanett has less expected damage per building than 79% of Alabama towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Lanett: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Lanett covers 4 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 Lanett flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lanett, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 4 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 3 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320152023
20032026
Biggest named events
  • The Early winter storms3 claims · $87K
9
paid claims since 2003
$260K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$29K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chambers County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lanett

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

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$154K to the City of Lanett for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding50 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2005Hurricane Dennis$12K to the City of Lanett for repairs
  4. 2004Hurricane Ivan13 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding22 households applied for aid$53K aid approved$33K to the City of Lanett for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LanettChambers County only

Chambers County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lanett archive →
Next door

Lanett and its neighbors

Lanett is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Huguley: hazard risk B−Valley: hazard risk B−HuguleyValleyLanett
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ValleyB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding1
LanettB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding9
HuguleyB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding—

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 Lanett 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 ↗
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 Lanett

Is Lanett at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lanett has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #40 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lanett flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Lanett since 2003, $260K in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Early winter storms (3).

Is Lanett 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 Chambers County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lanett?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lanett, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): $154K to the City of Lanett for repairs. By flood claims, Early winter storms: 3 paid, $87K.

Is Lanett at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Lanett’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lanett.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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