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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Mount Airy · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Mount Airy than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Airy gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 74%Tornadoes 9%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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Georgia · lower than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 15 declared for Habersham County
By hazard

What Mount Airy 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
Below average · lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hail Hurricanes Strong wind Lightning top 1% 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 cold waves at 22% of Mount Airy’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Mount Airy’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Airy, and Mount Airy’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Mount Airy sits
Mount Airy
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Mount Airy’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes9%Earthquakes6%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $309K a year in losses across Mount Airy: $173K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Mount Airy covers 2 census tracts, combined by where 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 Mount Airy flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mount Airy. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Habersham County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Airy

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

  1. 2017Hurricane Irma$10K to the Town of Mount Airy for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$200 aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Ivan$2K to the Town of Mount Airy for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Mount AiryHabersham County only

Habersham County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Mount Airy archive →
Next door

Mount Airy and its neighbors

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

Cornelia: hazard risk ACorneliaMount Airy
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CorneliaAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding2
Mount AiryA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding0

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 Mount Airy 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Mount Airy

Is Mount Airy at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Airy has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Mount Airy 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 Habersham County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mount Airy?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mount Airy, Hurricane Irma (2017): $10K to the Town of Mount Airy for repairs.

Is Mount Airy at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Mount Airy’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Airy.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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