Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Melbourne
Melbourne isn’t graded for hazard risk: Melbourne has 627 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 49 claims here since 1978.
What Melbourne 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
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 Melbourne flood? Sometimes: 49 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Melbourne, from FEMA’s records.
- The Central U.S. April Flooding2 claims · $76K
Melbourne is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Campbell County.The storms Melbourne remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Campbell County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Melbourne itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199724 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Campbell County
- 19797 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzard of 96, declared for Campbell County
Campbell County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Melbourne after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Melbourne archive →Melbourne and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Grove | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 120 |
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.
Get ready for what Melbourne 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.
- 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.
- Melbourne residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Melbourne
Does Melbourne flood?
Flood insurance has paid 49 claims in Melbourne since 1978, $838K in all. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Central U.S. April Flooding (2).
Is Melbourne 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 Campbell County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Melbourne?
Melbourne 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 Melbourne?
By flood claims, Central U.S. April Flooding: 2 paid, $76K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Melbourne.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Melbourne’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.