FEMA puts Pleasant Grove’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Grove gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #95 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), 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 Pleasant Grove 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 Pleasant Grove’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pleasant Grove, and Pleasant Grove’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C #95 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pleasant Grove’s residents live in 6 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, Pleasant Grove has more expected damage per building than 51% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Pleasant Grove: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pleasant Grove flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pleasant Grove. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pleasant Grove 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.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pleasant Grove
Disasters that paid out in Pleasant Grove itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pleasant Grove), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding1,692 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$624K to the City of Pleasant Grove for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$7K to the City of Pleasant Grove for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan15 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2001Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the City of Pleasant Grove for repairs
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 Pleasant Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pleasant Grove archive →Pleasant Grove and its neighbors
Pleasant Grove is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 898 |
| Pleasant Grove | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Hueytown | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 108 |
| Edgewater | — | 670 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| McDonald Chapel | — | 651 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.
Get ready for what Pleasant Grove 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 Pleasant Grove
Is Pleasant Grove at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasant Grove has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #95 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pleasant Grove 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 Pleasant Grove?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pleasant Grove’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 Pleasant Grove?
By FEMA money that reached Pleasant Grove, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 1,692 households applied for aid, $2.1M approved, and $624K to the City of Pleasant Grove for repairs.
Is Pleasant Grove at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Pleasant Grove’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pleasant Grove.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pleasant Grove’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.