Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Dalton
Dalton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Dalton has 916 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1998.
What Dalton 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
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 Dalton flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dalton, from FEMA’s records.
Dalton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Coos County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dalton
Disasters that paid out in Dalton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Dalton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storm and Flooding$2.8M to the Town of Dalton for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$24K to the Town of Dalton for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$135K to the Town of Dalton for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to the Town of Dalton for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Dalton for repairs
Coos County has had 22 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 Dalton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dalton archive →Dalton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunenburg | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Concord | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Whitefield | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Littleton | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lancaster | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Gilman | — | 165 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 Dalton 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.
- 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 Dalton
Does Dalton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Dalton since 1998, $12K in all.
Is Dalton 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 Coos County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dalton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dalton’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 Dalton?
By FEMA money that reached Dalton, Severe Storm and Flooding (2024): $2.8M to the Town of Dalton for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dalton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dalton’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.