Photo: Balcer · CC BY 2.5Georgetown is on Canada’s flood inventory: 16 listed, led by Conservation Halton
Since 1986 almost nothing has burned near Georgetown: 0% of the land within 25 km, or 0.000% a year. For earthquakes Georgetown is middling, $0.025 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. Radon is lower than usual: 4.1% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Hazard risk gives Georgetown a grade of A−, from earthquakes and radon alone.
What stands out about Georgetown’s hazards
For Georgetown, from NRCan’s seismic model, Health Canada’s radon survey, the national burned-area record and the flood map inventory.
What Georgetown faces
Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Radon
Flood study
Georgetown grades A− for hazard risk
The grade weighs Georgetown’s seismic risk and radon equally, and wildfire is one-sided: a high band counts against a town, a low one earns nothing.
Its place: #279 of 866 in Ontario and #670 of 2,589 Canadian towns.
How sure: The seismic figure is a long-run average from NRCan’s model, not a prediction. The burned-area record misses fires under about 10 ha and most grass and farm fires.
Little of the land around Georgetown has burned: 0% within 5 km, 0% within 25 km since 1986
Fires mapped since 1986 around where Georgetown’s residents live, and the fuel next to their homes.
In a typical year 0.000% of the land near Georgetown burns; the typical Canadian town sees 0.000%, and both are low.
Forest fuel is spread evenly around Georgetown: 6.5% within 5 km, 8.4% within 25 km.
Shares of land within 5 and 25 km of populated blocks: burned at least once in 1986–2025 (CWFIS burned-area composite), forest fuel and grass (fire behaviour fuel types, 2026, 250 m grid).
Burn rate a year, towns in Ontario · highest of 871
Little or nothing burns around Georgetown in a typical year; 638 of the 871 towns in Ontario share that, and Sioux Lookout leads at 0.16%.
Each bar: the yearly average share of land within 25 km of a town’s homes that burned, 1986–2025 (CWFIS); the seven highest towns of 2,500 people or more.
92% of Canada’s 2,610 towns are in the low band and 7.5% above it; Georgetown is among the many where the yearly burn rate rounds to zero.
Bands of the yearly burn rate: low under 0.05%, moderate under 0.25%, high under 1%, very high 1% or more; towns of 2,500 people or more.
Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: National Burned Area Composite 1986–2025 and fire behaviour fuel types (2026), Natural Resources Canada. Measured within 25 km and 5 km of each populated dissemination area; past fire, not a forecast.
Georgetown is on the flood map inventory: 16 studies, latest by Conservation Halton
Flood studies whose area touches Georgetown, from NRCan’s inventory, each linked to its owner.
The newest of 16 studies covering Georgetown is Conservation Halton’s, from 2020; open its map to see the zones.
| Study | By | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halton Shoreline Flood Hazard | Conservation Halton | 2020 | final · not public |
| Grand River Regulatory Floodplain | Grand River Conservation Authority | 2018 | final |
| East Credit | Credit Valley Conservation Authority | 2016 | final · not public |
| Beeney Creek | Credit Valley Conservation Authority | 2013 | final · not public |
| Black Creek | Credit Valley Conservation Authority | 2010 | final · not public |
| Credit River | Credit Valley Conservation Authority | 2008 | final · not public |
| West Credit River | Credit Valley Conservation Authority | 2008 | final · not public |
| Credit River | Credit Valley Conservation Authority | 2007 | final · not public |
8 more studies on the inventory touch Georgetown.
Towns with a flood study on file
Georgetown is one of the 69% of towns in Ontario with a flood study on file; across Canada it is 58%.
NRCan Canada Flood Map Inventory: a study footprint touching the town’s boundary; towns of 2,500 people or more.
The busiest decade for flood studies around Georgetown was the 2000s (7 of 16); they run from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Study dates as the NRCan inventory lists them, one count per study touching Georgetown.
Listed, not scored: a flood study proves a map exists, not that Georgetown floods.
The inventory’s own caution (NRCan): “The Canada Flood Map (CFM) does not include every flood hazard map in Canada and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. It should not be relied upon as the official source of flood mapping information. Furthermore, if a map appears to be missing, this does not necessarily mean that the area has never been mapped. For the official version of a map, updated information, or confirmation of applicable regulations, please contact the local authority responsible for flood mapping.”
Natural Resources Canada, Canada Flood Map Inventory; links go to each study’s owner.
Ordinary seismic risk in Georgetown: $0.025 per $1,000 of buildings a year
NRCan’s seismic risk model: the damage shaking is expected to do to buildings each year, on average over many years.
Earthquake losses in Georgetown, $0.025 per $1,000, are in line with the typical $0.030 (0.8 times).
Shaking damage a year per $1,000 of building value
Earthquake risk in Ontario peaks in Alexandria ($0.21); Georgetown, at $0.025, is below the median of $0.043.
NRCan seismic risk model (2022): mean yearly building loss per $1,000 of value; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Georgetown’s earthquake risk lands near the centre of Canada’s range; 53% of the 2,611 towns are higher.
Each column: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more in that range of yearly loss per $1,000 (NRCan, 2022).
What a quake does after the shaking, fire, landslides, tsunami, falls outside NRCan’s figure for Georgetown.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model (2022), by census subdivision (2016 boundaries; a few 2021 subdivisions take their residents’ mean).
Radon runs low around Georgetown: 4.1% of tested homes over the guideline
Health Canada’s survey of long-term home tests: the share above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline.
Georgetown’s area, at 4.1%, is below the 6.6% of the typical Canadian town, though any one home can still be high. Figures for radon tests are published for the Halton Regional Health Unit as a whole, not for Georgetown alone.
Tested homes over 200 Bq/m³
Over 600 Bq/m³
Georgetown’s area, at 4.1%, is close to the median in Ontario (4%).
Health Canada radon survey (2009–2011), by 2007 health region; medians of towns of 2,500 people or more.
Georgetown is in the lowest band, with 37% of Canada’s 2,611 towns: under 5% of tests over the guideline, while 63% have more.
Each bar: the share of Canada’s towns of 2,500 people or more whose survey area had that share of tests over 200 Bq/m³.
Health Canada advises testing every home, Georgetown’s included, whatever the area’s figure.
Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011).
Where to get warnings in Georgetown
Alerts for Georgetown come from Environment and Climate Change Canada and, for emergencies, Alert Ready.
| Alert | What it means |
|---|---|
| Warning | Severe weather is happening or about to: act now. |
| Watch | Conditions favour severe weather: be ready. |
| Advisory | Weather that is less severe but could disrupt the day. |
| Special weather statement | Unusual weather worth knowing about. |
| Special air quality statement | Poor air, often wildfire smoke. |
Alert Ready carries evacuation orders for Georgetown to phones; CWFIS shows the day’s fire danger.
Weather alerts (ECCC) · Alert Ready · Fire danger and active fires (CWFIS)
Hazards in the places around Georgetown
The same four hazards for the places next door.
| Town | Wildfire | Quake $/1,000 | Radon | Flood study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | Low | $0.025 | 4.1% | Yes |
| Creditview 5,598 · 8.9 km | Low | $0.030 | 0% | Yes |
| Alloa 29,669 · 9.6 km | Low | $0.030 | 0% | Yes |
| Spring Valley 12,564 · 9.7 km | Low | $0.030 | 0% | Yes |
| Mount Pleasant North 10,103 · 9.9 km | Low | $0.030 | 0% | Yes |
| Mount Pleasant Village 19,719 · 10 km | Low | $0.030 | 0% | Yes |
| New Springbrook 12,804 · 11 km | Low | $0.030 | 0% | Yes |
Nowhere around Georgetown burns more: Creditview, the closest rival, is low to its low.
Radon is the survey area’s figure, so neighbours in one area share it.
Get ready for what Georgetown faces
What to do about the hazards Georgetown faces, and what to ask before you buy.
- Test for three months in winter.
- Over 200 Bq/m³: fix it.
- Kits are cheap; pros test too.
- Never drive through floodwater.
- Move papers and medicines upstairs.
- Ask whether your street is mapped.
- Clear needles and wood nearby.
- Keep a grab-and-go bag ready.
- In smoke, stay in; filter air.
- Has it had a radon test?
- Check the address on the flood map.
- Are flood and wildfire insured?
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Earthquakes are modelled. The earthquake figure is an expected loss, not a forecast, worked out by NRCan for each census subdivision, Georgetown’s included.
- Flood studies aren’t flood zones. Flood studies cover areas of every size, which is why the page lists them for Georgetown without grading them.
- Radon is a survey. Radon figures pool the survey’s home tests by area: postal areas once their boundaries arrive, the 2007 health region around Georgetown until then.
- Wildfire counts one way. Burned land within 25 km of where people live, averaged over 1986–2025 and checked for fuel near homes, is the measure; it looks back, not ahead, and only ever counts against Georgetown.
Questions about flooding and hazards in Georgetown
How is Georgetown’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?
Georgetown grades A− for hazard risk, from earthquakes and radon, with wildfire counted only where it lowers the grade.
Is radon a problem in Georgetown?
Around Georgetown, 97 survey homes were tested and 4.1% came in over 200 Bq/m³, a guide to the area, not to any one home.
Does Georgetown flood?
A flood study covers Georgetown on Canada’s Flood Map Inventory; open the owner’s map to check a street, since flood isn’t graded.
How big is the earthquake risk in Georgetown?
Expected earthquake damage in Georgetown comes to $0.025 a year for each $1,000 that buildings are worth.
Is Georgetown at risk of wildfire?
No meaningful wildfire history near Georgetown: 0% of nearby land since 1986, band low.
Seismic risk: Natural Resources Canada. Radon: Health Canada. Wildfire: Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Flood studies: Natural Resources Canada, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Sources: NRCan, Canada’s Seismic Risk Model 2022 · Health Canada, Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes · CWFIS, National Burned Area Composite and FBP fuel types · NRCan, Canada Flood Map Inventory. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).