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United Methodist ChurchUnited Methodist Church · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Jasper · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Jasper than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jasper gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #361 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (71%), then river and rain flooding (23%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2005.

Hurricanes 71%River and rain flooding 23%Tornadoes 2%

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 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#361 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#361 of 638
in Florida · higher than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2005 · $14K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 23 declared for Hamilton County
By hazard

What Jasper faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

71%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

23%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning top 4% Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts lightning at 10% of Jasper’s expected losses. Lightning does little damage to buildings (0.2%), 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 Jasper’s grade

Hurricanes are 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jasper, and Jasper’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 23% (lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Jasper sits
Jasper
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #361 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Jasper’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes71%River and rain flooding23%Everything else6%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Jasper has more expected damage per building than 57% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Jasper: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Idalia in 2023, FEMA took 1,980 aid registrations from Jasper addresses (the town has 476 homes).
A small-area figure. Jasper covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Jasper flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jasper, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2005
20052026
1
paid claims since 2005
$14K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hamilton County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3buildings retrofitted against wind
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jasper

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene1,198 households applied for aid$3.0M aid approved$10K to the City of Jasper for repairs
  2. 2024Hurricane Debby513 households applied for aid$846K aid approved
  3. 2023Hurricane Idalia1,980 households applied for aid$2.2M aid approved$491K to the City of Jasper for repairs
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma297 households applied for aid$103K aid approved$66K to the City of Jasper for repairs
  5. 2012Tropical Storm Debby1 households applied for aid$15K to the City of Jasper for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds132 households applied for aid$376K aid approved$37K to the City of Jasper for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2008Tropical Storm Fay$38K to the City of Jasper for repairs
  2. 2004Hurricane Jeanne112 households applied for aid$186K aid approved$25K to the City of Jasper for repairs
  3. 2004Hurricane Frances$31K to the City of Jasper for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JasperHamilton County only

Hamilton County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hamilton County, 1999–2007.

Were you here?

Old photos of Jasper after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Jasper archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Jasper faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Jasper

Is Jasper at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jasper has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #361 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (71%) and river and rain flooding (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Jasper flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Jasper since 2005, $14K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Jasper 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 Hamilton County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Jasper?

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

By FEMA money that reached Jasper, Hurricane Helene (2024): 1,198 households applied for aid, $3.0M approved, and $10K to the City of Jasper for repairs.

Is Jasper at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Jasper’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jasper.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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