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Cantwells Tavern Odessa DEPhoto: Smallbones · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Odessa · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Odessa

Odessa isn’t graded for hazard risk: Odessa has 409 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.

Flood claims
1
paid since 2023 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for New Castle County
By hazard

What Odessa 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

81%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Wildfire Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Odessa flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Odessa, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2023
20232026
1
paid claims since 2023
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: New Castle County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Odessa

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

  1. 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$9K to the Town of Odessa for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$2K to the Town of Odessa for repairs
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$629 aid approved
  4. 2003Snow$2K to the Town of Odessa for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OdessaNew Castle County only

New Castle County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical 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 Odessa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Odessa archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Odessa 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 ↗
When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
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 Odessa

Does Odessa flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Odessa since 2023, $3K in all.

Is Odessa 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 New Castle County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Odessa?

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

By FEMA money that reached Odessa, Tropical Storm Isaias (2020): $9K to the Town of Odessa for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Odessa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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