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Jess Norman Post 166 American Legion HutJess Norman Post 166 American Legion Hut · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Augusta · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Augusta faces more hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Augusta gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then earthquakes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 59%Earthquakes 21%Ice storms 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

more than 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Arkansas · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2011 · $179K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 23 declared for Woodruff County
By hazard

What Augusta 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

59%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

21%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Hurricanes Winter storms Lightning top 3% Wildfire 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 drought at 9% of Augusta’s expected losses. Drought does 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 Augusta’s grade

River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Augusta, and Augusta’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 9%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Augusta sits
Augusta
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Augusta’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding59%Earthquakes21%Ice storms9%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Augusta: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Augusta’s 1,998 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Gregory CDP (43 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Augusta flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Augusta, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201120152017
20112026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $30K
  • The Early winter storms1 claim · $1K
  • The Late spring severe storms1 claim · $147K
3
paid claims since 2011
$179K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$60K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Woodruff County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Augusta

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

  1. 2021Severe Storms and Tornadoes32 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$24K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$17K to the City of Augusta for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding30 households applied for aid$245K aid approved$4K to the City of Augusta for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding32 households applied for aid$270K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$883 aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$49K to the City of Augusta for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AugustaWoodruff County only

Woodruff County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Augusta archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Augusta 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 ↗
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 ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
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 ↗
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 Augusta

Is Augusta at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Augusta has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and earthquakes (21%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Augusta flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Augusta since 2011, $179K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).

Is Augusta 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 Woodruff County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Augusta?

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

By FEMA money that reached Augusta, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 32 households applied for aid, $270K approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $30K.

Is Augusta at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Augusta’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Augusta.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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