Photo: Hyku on Flickr · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Brunswick than in 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brunswick gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #230 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (69%), then river and rain flooding (12%). Flood insurance has paid 257 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Brunswick’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Brunswick 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
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 Brunswick’s grade
Hurricanes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brunswick, and Brunswick’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 10%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #230 of 264 in Georgia; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brunswick’s residents live in 6 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, Brunswick has more expected damage per building than 87% of Georgia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.3M a year in losses across Brunswick: $6.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brunswick flood? Yes: 257 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brunswick, from FEMA’s records: 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma81 claims · $4.3M
- Hurricane Matthew47 claims · $1.9M
- Hurricane Nicole6 claims · $345K
Brunswick is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Glynn County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brunswick
Disasters that paid out in Brunswick itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Brunswick), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene5,794 households applied for aid$3.5M aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
- 2023Hurricane Idalia299 households applied for aid$83K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma10,106 households applied for aid$4.1M aid approved81 flood claims paid for it, $4.3M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew2,034 households applied for aid$886K aid approved47 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
Glynn County has had 14 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 Brunswick after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brunswick archive →Brunswick and its neighbors
Brunswick is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dock Junction | Cmore damage than 71% | hurricanes | 22 |
| Brunswick | C−more damage than 75% | hurricanes | 257 |
| Country Club Estates | C−more damage than 82% | hurricanes | 59 |
| Jekyll Island | — | 769 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.
Get ready for what Brunswick 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.
- 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.
- Brunswick residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Brunswick
Is Brunswick at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brunswick has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #230 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (69%) and river and rain flooding (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Brunswick flood?
Flood insurance has paid 257 claims in Brunswick since 1979, $8.3M in all, or 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 38 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (81).
Is Brunswick 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 Glynn County, 90% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 31.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brunswick?
Brunswick is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% 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 Brunswick?
By FEMA money that reached Brunswick, Hurricane Irma (2017): 10,106 households applied for aid, $4.1M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 81 paid, $4.3M.
Is Brunswick at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Brunswick’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brunswick.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brunswick’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.