Photo: Calvin Beale · Public domainFEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Alamo as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alamo gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #197 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then hurricanes (32%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Alamo 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
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.
What’s behind Alamo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alamo, and Alamo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 32% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #197 of 264 in Georgia; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Alamo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Georgia town has lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alamo has more expected damage per building than 75% of Georgia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $190K a year in losses across Alamo: $115K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alamo flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Alamo. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Alamo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wheeler County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alamo
Disasters that paid out in Alamo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Alamo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene657 households applied for aid$950K aid approved$912K to the Town of Alamo for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds2 households applied for aid$120 aid approved
Wheeler County has had 12 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.
Old photos of Alamo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alamo archive →Get ready for what Alamo faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Alamo
Is Alamo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alamo has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #197 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and hurricanes (32%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Alamo 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 Wheeler County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alamo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alamo’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 Alamo?
By FEMA money that reached Alamo, Hurricane Helene (2024): 657 households applied for aid, $950K approved, and $912K to the Town of Alamo for repairs.
Is Alamo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Alamo’s rate for it is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alamo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alamo’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.