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Auburn Historic District - GeorgiaPhoto: Davidmcarlson · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Auburn · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Auburn than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Auburn gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #63 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 70%Tornadoes 14%Earthquakes 6%

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

less than 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#63 of 264 in Georgia
Hazard risk
A−#63 of 264
in Georgia · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 10 declared for Barrow County
By hazard

What Auburn 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

70%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Lightning top 0% Ice storms Strong wind Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Auburn’s grade

River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Auburn, and Auburn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Lightning adds 2%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Auburn sits
Auburn
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #63 of 264 in Georgia; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Auburn’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding70%Tornadoes14%Earthquakes6%Everything else10%

The typical Georgia town has lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. towns; within the state, Auburn has less expected damage per building than 76% of Georgia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Auburn: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Auburn covers 6 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Auburn flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Auburn. 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

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

Insurance rates: Barrow County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Auburn

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

  1. 2017Hurricane Irma$19K to the City of Auburn for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm$9K to the City of Auburn for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AuburnBarrow County only

Barrow County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Auburn archive →
Next door

Auburn and its neighbors

Auburn has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Carl: not gradedMulberry: hazard risk B+CarlMulberryAuburn
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AuburnA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding0
MulberryB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding1
Carl—183 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Auburn faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Auburn

Is Auburn at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Auburn has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #63 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Auburn 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 Barrow County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Auburn?

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

By FEMA money that reached Auburn, Hurricane Irma (2017): $19K to the City of Auburn for repairs.

Is Auburn at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Auburn’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Auburn.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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