Storms, floods and disasters in Tibbie
Tibbie isn’t graded for hazard risk: Tibbie has 24 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Tibbie 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
Tornadoes
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 Tibbie flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Tibbie. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Tibbie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tibbie
Disasters that paid out in Tibbie itself (aid to households or repair grants to Tibbie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Zeta47 households applied for aid$62K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina129 households applied for aid$143K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan82 households applied for aid$109K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Washington County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Washington County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Tibbie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tibbie archive →Get ready for what Tibbie 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.
- 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.
- 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 Tibbie
Is Tibbie 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 Washington County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tibbie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tibbie’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 Tibbie?
By FEMA money that reached Tibbie, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 129 households applied for aid, $143K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tibbie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tibbie’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.