Photo: DwayneP · CC BY-SA 3.0McCalla’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McCalla gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #34 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2014.
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 McCalla 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
Earthquakes
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 McCalla’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in McCalla, and McCalla’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #34 of 187 in Alabama; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
McCalla’s residents live in 5 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, McCalla has less expected damage per building than 82% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across McCalla: $2.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does McCalla flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2014
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in McCalla, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
McCalla isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms McCalla remembers
None of the 35 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching McCalla itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20141 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
- 20241 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Helene, declared for Jefferson County
Jefferson County has had 35 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 Jefferson County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of McCalla after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the McCalla archive →McCalla and its neighbors
McCalla has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 McCalla 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 McCalla
Is McCalla at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McCalla has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #34 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does McCalla flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in McCalla since 2014, $57K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is McCalla 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 Jefferson County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in McCalla?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McCalla’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is McCalla at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and McCalla’s rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McCalla.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McCalla’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.