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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Georgetown · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Georgetown

Georgetown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Georgetown has 72 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims
45
paid since 1978 · $193K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
1
of 24 declared for Clay County
By hazard

What Georgetown 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

93%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms top 0% Hail Ice storms Earthquakes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Georgetown’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Georgetown flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1978

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 7 claims1979: 11 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 16 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 6 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819791997
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Severe flooding1 claim · $3K
  • The Winter storm1 claim · $3K
45
paid claims since 1978
$193K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$4K
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

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

Insurance rates: Clay County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
6flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Georgetown

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

  1. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding31 households applied for aid$42K aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GeorgetownClay County only

Clay County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Georgetown archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Georgetown 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 ↗
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.
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 Georgetown

Does Georgetown flood?

Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in Georgetown since 1978, $193K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Severe flooding (1).

Is Georgetown 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 Clay County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Georgetown?

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

By FEMA money that reached Georgetown, Severe Storms and Flooding (2009): 31 households applied for aid, $42K approved. By flood claims, Severe flooding: 1 paid, $3K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Georgetown.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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