Photo: Robbie Honerkamp · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Lumpkin
Lumpkin isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Lumpkin yet.
What Lumpkin 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.
Does Lumpkin flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lumpkin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lumpkin
Disasters that paid out in Lumpkin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lumpkin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Michael1 households applied for aid$81K to the City of Lumpkin for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma$8K to the City of Lumpkin for repairs
Stewart County has had 11 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 Lumpkin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lumpkin archive →Get ready for what Lumpkin 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 Lumpkin
Is Lumpkin 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 Lumpkin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lumpkin’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 Lumpkin?
By FEMA money that reached Lumpkin, Hurricane Michael (2018): 1 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $81K to the City of Lumpkin for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lumpkin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lumpkin’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.