Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Mount Ida than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Ida gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%). 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 Mount Ida 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
Ice storms
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 Mount Ida’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Ida, and Mount Ida’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 10%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mount Ida’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $581K a year in losses across Mount Ida: $411K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Ida flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mount Ida. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Mount Ida isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Montgomery County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Ida
Disasters that paid out in Mount Ida itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Mount Ida), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$42K to the City of Mount Ida for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding1 households applied for aid$135 aid approved
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$18K to the City of Mount Ida for repairs
Montgomery County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Mount Ida after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Ida archive →Get ready for what Mount Ida 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.
- 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.
- 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 Mount Ida
Is Mount Ida at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Ida has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and tornadoes (10%). 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 Mount Ida 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 Montgomery County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Mount Ida?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Ida’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 Mount Ida?
By FEMA money that reached Mount Ida, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2017): $42K to the City of Mount Ida for repairs.
Is Mount Ida at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Mount Ida’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Ida.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Ida’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.