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Tuskegee Airmen National Historic SiteTuskegee Airmen National Historic Site · Photo: Rivers A. Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tuskegee · FEMA

FEMA puts Tuskegee’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tuskegee gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #2 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 16%Hurricanes 9%

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

less than 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#2 of 187 in Alabama
Hazard risk
A−#2 of 187
in Alabama · lower than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 22 declared for Macon County

What stands out about Tuskegee’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants13 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Tuskegee 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

64%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 8% of Tuskegee’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Tuskegee’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tuskegee, and Tuskegee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Tuskegee sits
Tuskegee
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #2 of 187 in Alabama; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Tuskegee’s residents live in 9 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Tornadoes16%Hurricanes9%Everything else11%

The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tuskegee has less expected damage per building than 99% of Alabama towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Tuskegee: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 9 census tracts by where Tuskegee’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Tuskegee flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Tuskegee. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Tuskegee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Macon County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
13storm safe rooms built
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tuskegee

Disasters that paid out in Tuskegee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tuskegee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2005Hurricane Dennis$35K to the City of Tuskegee for repairs
  2. 2004Hurricane Ivan719 households applied for aid$783K aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TuskegeeMacon County only

Macon County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Tuskegee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Tuskegee archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Tuskegee faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Tuskegee

Is Tuskegee at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tuskegee has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #2 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Tuskegee 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 Macon County, 2% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tuskegee?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tuskegee’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 Tuskegee?

By FEMA money that reached Tuskegee, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 719 households applied for aid, $783K approved.

Is Tuskegee at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Tuskegee’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tuskegee.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tuskegee’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.