Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Alma faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alma gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #208 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (50%), then river and rain flooding (37%). 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 Alma 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
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 Alma’s grade
Hurricanes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alma, and Alma’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 37% (lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #208 of 264 in Georgia; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Alma’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Georgia town has lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alma has more expected damage per building than 79% of Georgia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Alma: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alma flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Alma. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Alma isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bacon County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alma
Disasters that paid out in Alma itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Alma), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene2,624 households applied for aid$3.7M aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma$15K to the City of Alma for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$183K to the City of Alma for repairs
Bacon 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 Alma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alma archive →Get ready for what Alma 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.
- 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 Alma
Is Alma at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alma has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #208 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (50%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Alma 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 Bacon County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alma?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alma’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 Alma?
By FEMA money that reached Alma, Hurricane Helene (2024): 2,624 households applied for aid, $3.7M approved.
Is Alma at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Alma’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alma.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alma’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.