Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Clarksville
Clarksville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Clarksville has 402 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 177 claims here since 1979.
What Clarksville 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
Earthquakes
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 Clarksville flood? Yes: 177 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clarksville, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding18 claims · $311K
- The Late spring storms1 claim · $2K
- The Early winter storms1 claim · $838
Clarksville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pike County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clarksville
Disasters that paid out in Clarksville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Clarksville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding28 households applied for aid$67K aid approved$81K to the City of Clarksville for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$56K to the City of Clarksville for repairs
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$10K to the City of Clarksville for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$4K to the City of Clarksville for repairs15 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$1K to the City of Clarksville for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$16K to the City of Clarksville for repairs
Show all 9
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding66 households applied for aid$141K aid approved$308K to the City of Clarksville for repairs26 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Severe Winter Storms$8K to the City of Clarksville for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$27K to the City of Clarksville for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Pike County has had 21 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.
Old photos of Clarksville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clarksville archive →Get ready for what Clarksville 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Clarksville
Does Clarksville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 177 claims in Clarksville since 1979, $2.1M in all. 18 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (18).
Is Clarksville 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 Pike County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clarksville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clarksville’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 Clarksville?
By FEMA money that reached Clarksville, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 66 households applied for aid, $141K approved, and $308K to the City of Clarksville for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 18 paid, $311K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clarksville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clarksville’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.