Valley Creek Presbyterian Church · Photo: Bjwetherbee · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Valley Grande’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Valley Grande gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #105 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Valley Grande 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
Hurricanes
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 Valley Grande’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Valley Grande, and Valley Grande’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C #105 of 187 in Alabama; higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Valley Grande’s residents live in 4 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, Valley Grande has more expected damage per building than 56% of Alabama towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Valley Grande: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Valley Grande flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Valley Grande. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Valley Grande 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Valley Grande
Disasters that paid out in Valley Grande itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Valley Grande), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes50 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Zeta112 households applied for aid$82K aid approved
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 Valley Grande after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Valley Grande archive →Valley Grande and its neighbors
Valley Grande has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Grande | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Selma | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 88 |
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 Valley Grande 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.
- 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.
- 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 Valley Grande
Is Valley Grande at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Valley Grande has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #105 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Valley Grande 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 Valley Grande?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Valley Grande’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 Valley Grande?
By FEMA money that reached Valley Grande, Hurricane Zeta (2020): 112 households applied for aid, $82K approved.
Is Valley Grande at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Valley Grande’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Valley Grande.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Valley Grande’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.