Photo: DanTD · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Worthington Springs
Worthington Springs isn’t graded for hazard risk: Worthington Springs has 279 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1992.
What Worthington Springs faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
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.
Does Worthington Springs flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Worthington Springs, from FEMA’s records.
Worthington Springs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Union County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Worthington Springs
Disasters that paid out in Worthington Springs itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Worthington Springs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene4 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne16 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances24 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
Union 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Union County, 1999–2007.
Old photos of Worthington Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Worthington Springs archive →Get ready for what Worthington Springs faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Worthington Springs
Does Worthington Springs flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Worthington Springs since 1992, $58K in all.
Is Worthington Springs 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 Union County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Worthington Springs?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Worthington Springs’ 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 Worthington Springs?
By FEMA money that reached Worthington Springs, Hurricane Frances (2004): 24 households applied for aid, $33K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Worthington Springs.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Worthington Springs’ 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.