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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Warrior · FEMA

Warrior’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warrior gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #25 of 187 in Alabama. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then tornadoes (25%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 62%Tornadoes 25%Earthquakes 10%

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 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#25 of 187 in Alabama
Hazard risk
B−#25 of 187
in Alabama · lower than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2003 · $5K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 35 declared for Jefferson County
By hazard

What Warrior 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

62%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

25%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Hail Cold waves Landslides Winter storms Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Warrior’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Warrior’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Warrior, and Warrior’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 25%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Warrior sits
Warrior
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #25 of 187 in Alabama; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Warrior’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Tornadoes25%Earthquakes10%Everything else3%

The typical Alabama town has higher expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Warrior has less expected damage per building than 87% of Alabama towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Warrior: $643K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Warrior covers 3 census tracts, combined by where 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 Warrior flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Warrior, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2003
20032026
1
paid claims since 2003
$5K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Jefferson County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
20storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Warrior

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

  1. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding355 households applied for aid$160K aid approved$149K to the City of Warrior for repairs
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina$8K to the City of Warrior for repairs
  4. 2004Hurricane Ivan4 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding13 households applied for aid$27K aid approved$7K to the City of Warrior for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2002Severe Storms and Tornadoes3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2001Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to the City of Warrior for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WarriorJefferson County only

Jefferson County has had 35 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Jefferson County, 2000–2000.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Warrior archive →
Next door

Warrior and its neighbors

Warrior has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Kimberly: hazard risk CTrafford: not gradedKimberlyTraffordWarrior
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WarriorB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding1
KimberlyCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding—
Trafford—493 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Warrior 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 ↗
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 Warrior

Is Warrior at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Warrior has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #25 of 187 in Alabama. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and tornadoes (25%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Warrior flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Warrior since 2003, $5K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Warrior 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 Jefferson County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Warrior?

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

By FEMA money that reached Warrior, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 355 households applied for aid, $160K approved, and $149K to the City of Warrior for repairs.

Is Warrior at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Warrior’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Warrior.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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