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Martinez, Ga (aerial view at sunset)Photo: OnlineInfamous · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Martinez · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Martinez faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Martinez gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #182 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%). Flood insurance has paid 66 claims here since 1990.

River and rain flooding 74%Hurricanes 10%Earthquakes 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 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#182 of 264 in Georgia
Hazard risk
B−#182 of 264
in Georgia · lower than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
66
paid since 1990 · $1.2M
Disasters paid out here
2
of 8 declared for Columbia County
By hazard

What Martinez 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves 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 tornadoes at 16% of Martinez’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (4.4%), 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 Martinez’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Martinez, and Martinez’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Martinez sits
Martinez
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #182 of 264 in Georgia; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Martinez’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 flooding74%Hurricanes10%Earthquakes6%Everything else9%

The typical Georgia town has lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. towns; within the state, Martinez has more expected damage per building than 69% of Georgia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.6M a year in losses across Martinez: $9.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Helene in 2024, FEMA took 4,803 aid registrations from Martinez addresses (the town has 14,533 homes) and flood insurance paid 15 claims for $678K.
A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where Martinez’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 Martinez flood? Sometimes: 66 flood claims since 1990

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Martinez, from FEMA’s records: 4.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1990: 3 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 3 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 3 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 7 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 12 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 2 claims2020: 7 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 16 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim201320172024
19902026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene15 claims · $678K
  • Hurricane Milton1 claim · $5K
  • Hurricane Michael1 claim · $7K
66
paid claims since 1990
$1.2M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Columbia County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Martinez

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene1 households applied for aid$750 aid approved15 flood claims paid for it, $678K
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene4,803 households applied for aid$4.0M aid approved15 flood claims paid for it, $678K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MartinezColumbia County only

Columbia County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Martinez after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Martinez archive →
Next door

Martinez and its neighbors

Martinez is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Evans: hazard risk C+Augusta: hazard risk B+EvansAugustaMartinez
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AugustaB+less damage than 74%river and rain flooding—
MartinezB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding66
EvansC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding7

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 Martinez 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 ↗
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 Martinez

Is Martinez at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Martinez has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #182 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Martinez flood?

Flood insurance has paid 66 claims in Martinez since 1990, $1.2M in all, or 4.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (15).

Is Martinez 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 Columbia County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Martinez?

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

By FEMA money that reached Martinez, Hurricane Helene (2024): 4,803 households applied for aid, $4.0M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 15 paid, $678K.

Is Martinez at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Martinez’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Martinez.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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