Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Climax
Climax isn’t graded for hazard risk: Climax has 170 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Climax 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
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.
Does Climax flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Climax. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Climax isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Decatur County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Climax
Disasters that paid out in Climax itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Climax), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Michael287 households applied for aid$71K aid approved$6K to the City of Climax for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds7 households applied for aid$35K aid approved
Decatur 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.
Old photos of Climax after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Climax archive →Get ready for what Climax 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.
- 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 Climax
Is Climax 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 Decatur County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Climax?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Climax’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 Climax?
By FEMA money that reached Climax, Hurricane Michael (2018): 287 households applied for aid, $71K approved, and $6K to the City of Climax for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Climax.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Climax’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.