Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Opp

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Opp · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Opp faces more hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Opp gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #169 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (65%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1998.

Hurricanes 65%River and rain flooding 29%Tornadoes 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 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#169 of 187 in Alabama
Hazard risk
D#169 of 187
in Alabama · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
65% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1998 · $41K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 29 declared for Covington County
By hazard

What Opp faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

65%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

River and rain flooding

29%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Opp’s grade

Hurricanes are 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Opp, and Opp’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 29% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Opp sits
Opp
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #169 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Opp’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes65%River and rain flooding29%Tornadoes5%Everything else1%

The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Opp has more expected damage per building than 90% of Alabama towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.9M a year in losses across Opp: $4.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Opp covers 5 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 Opp flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Opp, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1998
19982026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Georges2 claims · $41K
2
paid claims since 1998
$41K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Covington County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
15storm safe rooms built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Opp

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

  1. 2020Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$38K to the City of Opp for repairs
  2. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$2K to the City of Opp for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$34K to the City of Opp for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes and Straight-line46 households applied for aid$43K aid approved$105K to the City of Opp for repairs
  5. 2005Hurricane Dennis$68K to the City of Opp for repairs
  6. 2004Hurricane Ivan381 households applied for aid$453K aid approved$181K to the City of Opp for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OppCovington County only

Covington County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Opp archive →
Next door

Opp and its neighbors

Opp has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Babbie: not gradedHorn Hill: not gradedBabbieHorn HillOpp
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
OppDmore damage than 94%hurricanes2
Babbie—790 residents; we grade 1,000+
Horn Hill—215 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Opp faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Opp

Is Opp at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Opp has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #169 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (65%) and river and rain flooding (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Opp flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Opp since 1998, $41K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Georges (2).

Is Opp 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 Covington County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Opp?

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

By FEMA money that reached Opp, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 381 households applied for aid, $453K approved, and $181K to the City of Opp for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Georges: 2 paid, $41K.

Is Opp at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Opp’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Opp.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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