Photo: Billy Hathorn at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0For ice storms, Ringgold’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ringgold gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then ice storms (16%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1991.
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
What Ringgold 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
Ice storms
Strong wind
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Ringgold’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ringgold, and Ringgold’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 16%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ringgold’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $652K a year in losses across Ringgold: $333K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ringgold flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ringgold, from FEMA’s records: 4.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ringgold isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bienville Parish.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ringgold
Disasters that paid out in Ringgold itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ringgold), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms27 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding173 households applied for aid$432K aid approved
Bienville Parish has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms.
Old photos of Ringgold after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ringgold archive →Get ready for what Ringgold 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Ringgold
Is Ringgold at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ringgold has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and ice storms (16%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ringgold flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ringgold since 1991, $29K in all, or 4.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ringgold 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 Bienville Parish, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ringgold?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ringgold’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 Ringgold?
By FEMA money that reached Ringgold, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 173 households applied for aid, $432K approved.
Is Ringgold at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Ringgold’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ringgold.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ringgold’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.