Edmund Pettus Bridge · Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Selma than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selma gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #140 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). Flood insurance has paid 88 claims here since 1979.
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 Selma’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Selma 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 Selma’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Selma, and Selma’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 10%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #140 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Selma’s residents live in 9 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, Selma has more expected damage per building than 75% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.9M a year in losses across Selma: $6.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Selma flood? Sometimes: 88 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Selma, from FEMA’s records: 9.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaac2 claims · $58K
- Hurricane Georges1 claim · $20K
- Hurricane Francine1 claim · $21K
Selma isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dallas County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Selma
Disasters that paid out in Selma itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Selma), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes2,789 households applied for aid$4.2M aid approved$7.8M to the City of Selma for repairs
- 2020Hurricane Zeta1,626 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved$664K to the City of Selma for repairs
- 2020Severe Storms and Flooding$59K to the City of Selma for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Isaac$150K to the City of Selma for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $58K
- 2012Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$763 aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding16 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$2K to the City of Selma for repairs
Show all 9
- 2007Severe Storms and Tornadoes42 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Dennis$17K to the City of Selma for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Ivan4,006 households applied for aid$3.4M aid approved$178K to the City of Selma for repairs
Dallas County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Selma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Selma archive →Selma and its neighbors
Selma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Grande | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Selma | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
| Selmont-West Selmont | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Selma 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 Selma
Is Selma at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selma has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #140 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Selma flood?
Flood insurance has paid 88 claims in Selma since 1979, $1.3M in all, or 9.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaac (2).
Is Selma 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 Dallas County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Selma?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Selma’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 Selma?
By FEMA money that reached Selma, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2023): 2,789 households applied for aid, $4.2M approved, and $7.8M to the City of Selma for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Isaac: 2 paid, $58K.
Is Selma at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Selma’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Selma.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Selma’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.