Storms, floods and disasters in Cooper
Cooper isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cooper has 157 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Cooper 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
Hurricanes
Ice storms
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 Cooper flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cooper. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cooper isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washington County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cooper
Disasters that paid out in Cooper itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cooper), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$300 aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the Town of Cooper for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$10K to the Town of Cooper for repairs
- 2001Snow$1K to the Town of Cooper for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$3K to the Town of Cooper for repairs
Washington County has had 20 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 Cooper after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cooper archive →Cooper 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | — | 377 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Meddybemps | — | 139 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Alexander | — | 553 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.
Get ready for what Cooper 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cooper
Is Cooper 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 Washington County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cooper?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cooper’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 Cooper?
By FEMA money that reached Cooper, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): $14K to the Town of Cooper for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cooper.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cooper’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.