FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Piney than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Piney gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #108 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2019.
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 Piney 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
Earthquakes
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 Piney’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Piney, and Piney’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 10%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #108 of 123 in Arkansas; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Piney’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Arkansas town has higher expected damage than 73% of U.S. towns; within the state, Piney has more expected damage per building than 88% of Arkansas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Piney: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Piney flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2019
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Piney, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Piney isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Garland County.The storms Piney remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Garland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Piney itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20191 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Garland County has had 16 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.
Old photos of Piney after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Piney archive →Piney and its neighbors
Piney is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 125 |
| Rockwell | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Piney | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Piney 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Piney
Is Piney at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Piney has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #108 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Piney flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Piney since 2019, $10K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Piney 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 Garland County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Piney?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Piney’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Piney at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Piney’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Piney.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Piney’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.