Photo: Kevin Magee 1 · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Point Clear than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Point Clear gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (72%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 118 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Point Clear’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Point Clear faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Point Clear’s grade
Hurricanes are 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Point Clear, and Point Clear’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Point Clear’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Point Clear: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Point Clear flood? Yes: 118 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Point Clear, from FEMA’s records: 104.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Katrina55 claims · $5.4M
- Hurricane Georges16 claims · $241K
- Hurricane Frederic10 claims · $54K
Point Clear isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Baldwin County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Point Clear
Disasters that paid out in Point Clear itself (aid to households or repair grants to Point Clear), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Sally41 households applied for aid$97K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $70K
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding27 households applied for aid$45K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina134 households applied for aid$225K aid approved55 flood claims paid for it, $5.4M
- 2005Hurricane Dennis11 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan136 households applied for aid$164K aid approved6 flood claims paid for it, $77K
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding17 households applied for aid$57K aid approved
Baldwin County has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Point Clear after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Point Clear archive →Point Clear and its neighbors
Point Clear 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairhope | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 111 |
| Point Clear | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 118 |
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 Point Clear faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Point Clear
Is Point Clear at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Point Clear has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (72%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Point Clear flood?
Flood insurance has paid 118 claims in Point Clear since 1978, $6.4M in all, or 104.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Katrina (55).
Is Point Clear 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 Baldwin County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Point Clear?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Point Clear’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 Point Clear?
By FEMA money that reached Point Clear, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 134 households applied for aid, $225K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Katrina: 55 paid, $5.4M.
Is Point Clear at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Point Clear’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Point Clear.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Point Clear’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.