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TiftonCityHallPhoto: Michael Rivera · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tifton · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Tifton than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tifton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #100 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then hurricanes (33%). Flood insurance has paid 43 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 52%Hurricanes 33%Tornadoes 9%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#100 of 264 in Georgia
Hazard risk
A−#100 of 264
in Georgia · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
52% of expected building damage
Flood claims
43
paid since 1980 · $2.2M
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Flood insurance
10% off
Community discount (class 8)

What stands out about Tifton’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.10% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Tifton residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8).Moved out of harm’s way9 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 199413 flood claims were paid for 1994 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Tifton 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

52%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

33%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Ice 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 22% of Tifton’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (9.3%), 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 Tifton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tifton, and Tifton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 33% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Tifton sits
Tifton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #100 of 264 in Georgia; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Tifton’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding52%Hurricanes33%Tornadoes9%Everything else6%

The typical Georgia town has lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tifton has less expected damage per building than 62% of Georgia towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.4M a year in losses across Tifton: $3.5M 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 3,455 aid registrations from Tifton addresses (the town has 7,810 homes) and flood insurance paid 1 claims for $5K.
A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Tifton’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 Tifton flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tifton, from FEMA’s records: 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 5 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 13 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 4 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 9 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198619942012
19802026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene1 claim · $5K
43
paid claims since 1980
$2.2M
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$51K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount10% off flood insurance

Tifton is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Tift County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
9flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tifton

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene3,455 households applied for aid$2.3M aid approved$259K to the City of Tifton for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
  2. 2023Hurricane Idalia$23K to the City of Tifton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2018Hurricane Michael769 households applied for aid$136K aid approved$181K to the City of Tifton for repairs
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma$125K to the City of Tifton for repairs
  5. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds124 households applied for aid$237K aid approved$31K to the City of Tifton for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2004Tropical Storm Frances$43K to the City of Tifton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TiftonTift County only

Tift County has had 13 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 Tifton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Tifton archive →
Next door

Tifton and its neighbors

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

Phillipsburg: not gradedUnionville: hazard risk A−PhillipsburgUnionvilleTifton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
UnionvilleA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding—
TiftonA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding43
Phillipsburg—193 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Tifton 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 ↗
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 ↗
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.
  • Tifton residents get 10% off flood insurance.
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 Tifton

Is Tifton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tifton has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #100 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and hurricanes (33%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Tifton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in Tifton since 1980, $2.2M in all, or 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (1).

Is Tifton 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 Tift County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tifton?

Tifton is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Tifton?

By FEMA money that reached Tifton, Hurricane Helene (2024): 3,455 households applied for aid, $2.3M approved, and $259K to the City of Tifton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 1 paid, $5K.

Is Tifton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Tifton’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tifton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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