Woodland · Photo: Jud McCranie · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Lumber City
Lumber City isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Lumber City yet. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1994.
What Lumber City 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 Lumber City flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lumber City, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Alberto2 claims · $29K
- The Early winter storms1 claim · $10K
Lumber City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Telfair County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Lumber City
Disasters that paid out in Lumber City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lumber City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene629 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved
Telfair County has had 12 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 Lumber City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lumber City archive →Get ready for what Lumber City 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 Lumber City
Does Lumber City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Lumber City since 1994, $81K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Alberto (2).
Is Lumber City 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 Telfair County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lumber City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lumber City’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 Lumber City?
By FEMA money that reached Lumber City, Hurricane Helene (2024): 629 households applied for aid, $1.8M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Alberto: 2 paid, $29K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lumber City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lumber City’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.