Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Yankeetown
Yankeetown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Yankeetown has 675 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 374 claims here since 1985.
What Yankeetown 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
Coastal 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 Yankeetown flood? Yes: 374 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Yankeetown, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Helene91 claims · $7.3M
- Hurricane Josephine73 claims · $1.3M
- The Blizzard of 199356 claims · $1.4M
Yankeetown is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Yankeetown
Disasters that paid out in Yankeetown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Yankeetown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene193 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved91 flood claims paid for it, $7.3M
- 2024Hurricane Debby20 households applied for aid$60K aid approved
- 2023Hurricane Idalia149 households applied for aid$779K aid approved$116K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs56 flood claims paid for it, $4.7M
- 2022Hurricane Nicole$3K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs
- 2022Hurricane Ian$9K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma15 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$21K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 10
- 2016Hurricane Hermine86 households applied for aid$277K aid approved$128K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs44 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
- 2012Tropical Storm Debby$3K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne24 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$5K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances44 households applied for aid$45K aid approved$84K to the Town of Yankeetown for repairs
Old photos of Yankeetown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Yankeetown archive →Yankeetown and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inglis | C−more damage than 84% | hurricanes | 52 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Yankeetown 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Yankeetown residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Yankeetown
Does Yankeetown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 374 claims in Yankeetown since 1985, $18.1M in all. 75 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (91).
Is Yankeetown 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.
How much is flood insurance in Yankeetown?
Yankeetown is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Yankeetown?
By FEMA money that reached Yankeetown, Hurricane Helene (2024): 193 households applied for aid, $1.8M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 91 paid, $7.3M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Yankeetown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Yankeetown’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.