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Milam Park Pool at DuskPhoto: City of Clarkston Government · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Clarkston · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Clarkston faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clarkston gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #160 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1994.

River and rain flooding 79%Earthquakes 8%Tornadoes 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 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#160 of 264 in Georgia
Hazard risk
B+#160 of 264
in Georgia · lower than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1994 · $95K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for DeKalb County
By hazard

What Clarkston 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

79%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Ice storms Hurricanes Strong wind Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Clarkston’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Clarkston’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clarkston, and Clarkston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 8% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Clarkston sits
Clarkston
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #160 of 264 in Georgia; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Clarkston’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Earthquakes8%Tornadoes6%Everything else6%

The typical Georgia town has lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. towns; within the state, Clarkston has more expected damage per building than 60% of Georgia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Clarkston: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where Clarkston’s 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 Clarkston flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clarkston, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199420092024
19942026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene1 claim · $35K
3
paid claims since 1994
$95K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$32K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: DeKalb County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clarkston

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

  1. 2017Hurricane Irma$21K to the City of Clarkston for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding121 households applied for aid$178K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2004Hurricane Ivan8 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  4. 2000Severe Winter Storm$4K to the City of Clarkston for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClarkstonDeKalb County only

DeKalb County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe 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 Clarkston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Clarkston archive →
Next door

Clarkston and its neighbors

Clarkston is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Scottdale: hazard risk A−Tucker: hazard risk AScottdaleTuckerClarkston
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TuckerAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding7
ScottdaleA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding8
ClarkstonB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding3

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 Clarkston 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Clarkston

Is Clarkston at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clarkston has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #160 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and earthquakes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Clarkston flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Clarkston since 1994, $95K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (1).

Is Clarkston 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 DeKalb County, 72% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clarkston?

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

By FEMA money that reached Clarkston, Severe Storms and Flooding (2009): 121 households applied for aid, $178K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 1 paid, $35K.

Is Clarkston at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Clarkston’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clarkston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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