Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator · Photo: NASA MSFC Facilities · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal isn’t graded for hazard risk: Redstone Arsenal has 858 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.
What Redstone Arsenal 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.
Does Redstone Arsenal flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Redstone Arsenal, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Frederic1 claim · $20K
Redstone Arsenal isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madison County.The storms Redstone Arsenal remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Madison County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Redstone Arsenal itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19991 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Madison County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Redstone Arsenal after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Redstone Arsenal archive →Redstone Arsenal and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 406 |
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 Redstone Arsenal 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 Redstone Arsenal
Does Redstone Arsenal flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Redstone Arsenal since 1979, $33K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Frederic (1).
Is Redstone Arsenal 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 Madison County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Redstone Arsenal?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Redstone Arsenal’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 Redstone Arsenal?
By flood claims, Hurricane Frederic: 1 paid, $20K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Redstone Arsenal.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Redstone Arsenal’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.