Cusseta Industrial High School · Photo: Rivers Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Cusseta faces less hazard damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cusseta gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #35 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Cusseta 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
Tornadoes
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.
What’s behind Cusseta’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cusseta, and Cusseta’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
A #35 of 264 in Georgia; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cusseta’s residents live in 5 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, Cusseta has less expected damage per building than 87% of Georgia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Cusseta: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cusseta flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cusseta, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
The storms Cusseta remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Chattahoochee County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cusseta itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Chattahoochee County has had 6 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 Cusseta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cusseta archive →Cusseta and its neighbors
Cusseta has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cusseta | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Columbus | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 119 |
| Box Springs | — | 228 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 Cusseta 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cusseta
Is Cusseta at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cusseta has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #35 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cusseta flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cusseta since 1979, $2K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cusseta 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.
How much is flood insurance in Cusseta?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cusseta’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cusseta at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Cusseta’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cusseta.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cusseta’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.