Photo: Nyttend · Public domain

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Milton · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Milton

Milton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Milton has 637 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 26 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims

paid since 1978 · $278K

Flooded more than once

properties

Disasters paid out here

of 17 declared for Trimble County

By hazard

What Milton 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

80%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage

Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts

Smaller shares here

Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Winter storms Hurricanes Cold waves Lightning Wildfire 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 26% of Milton’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (13.4%), 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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Milton flood? Sometimes: 26 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Milton, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

197819972025

19782026

Biggest named events

The Central U.S. April Flooding3 claims · $36K

paid claims since 1978

$278K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$11K

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

No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Trimble County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

5flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Milton

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

2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides30 households applied for aid$199K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
2022Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide11 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
2012Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in MiltonTrimble County only

Trimble County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Milton archive →

Be ready

Get ready for what Milton 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Milton

Does Milton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 26 claims in Milton since 1978, $278K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Central U.S. April Flooding (3).

Is Milton 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 Trimble County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Milton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Milton, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 30 households applied for aid, $199K approved. By flood claims, Central U.S. April Flooding: 3 paid, $36K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Milton.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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