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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Gassville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Gassville faces more hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gassville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then ice storms (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 67%Ice storms 14%Tornadoes 8%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Arkansas · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 17 declared for Baxter County
By hazard

What Gassville 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

67%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms top 4% Hail Hurricanes Lightning 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 tornadoes at 16% of Gassville’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (8.1%), 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 Gassville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gassville, and Gassville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 14%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Gassville sits
Gassville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Ice storms14%Tornadoes8%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Gassville: $739K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Gassville’s 2,171 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Cotter city (886 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 Gassville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Gassville. 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

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

Insurance rates: Baxter County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gassville

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2009Severe Winter Storm$79K to the City of Gassville for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding251 households applied for aid$357K aid approved$332K to the City of Gassville for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$2K to the City of Gassville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GassvilleBaxter County only

Baxter County has had 17 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 Gassville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Gassville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Gassville 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Gassville

Is Gassville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gassville has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and ice storms (14%). 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.

Is Gassville 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 Baxter County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Gassville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Gassville, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 251 households applied for aid, $357K approved, and $332K to the City of Gassville for repairs.

Is Gassville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Gassville’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gassville.

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