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Lee City HallPhoto: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Lee · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Lee

Lee isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lee has 835 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
8
of 21 declared for Madison County
By hazard

What Lee faces

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

Hurricanes

56%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

39%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Earthquakes Lightning top 0% Strong wind Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Lee flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lee. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Madison County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lee

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene583 households applied for aid$1.7M aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Debby148 households applied for aid$310K aid approved
  3. 2023Hurricane Idalia674 households applied for aid$702K aid approved$45K to the Town of Lee for repairs
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma4 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
  5. 2016Hurricane Hermine$3K to the Town of Lee for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds53 households applied for aid$322K aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2008Tropical Storm Fay5 households applied for aid$687 aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Jeanne31 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LeeMadison County only

Madison County has had 21 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Madison County, 2000–2000.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lee archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Lee 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 Lee

Is Lee 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 Madison County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lee?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lee, Hurricane Helene (2024): 583 households applied for aid, $1.7M approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lee.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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