Photo: Dclemens1971 · CC BY 4.0

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Georgetown · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Georgetown

Georgetown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Georgetown has 603 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1981.

Flood claims

paid since 1981 · $22K

Disasters paid out here

of 18 declared for Madison 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

95%of expected building damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once a year in the area

Smaller shares here

Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Hurricanes Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning

FEMA models no building damage here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1981

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

Paid flood claims, by year

19812006

19812026

paid claims since 1981

$22K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$7K

average claim

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: Madison County.

Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Georgetown

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

2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2013Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2006Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
2005Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2003Ice Storm$14K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs
2002Snowstorms$4K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs

Show all 7

2000Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in GeorgetownMadison County only

Madison County has had 18 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; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

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 →

Next door

Georgetown and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

DeRuyterLebanonNelsonOtselicGeorgetown

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Nelson	A⁻less damage than 84%	river and rain flooding	1
DeRuyter	C⁺more damage than 62%	river and rain flooding	—
Lebanon	C⁺more damage than 62%	river and rain flooding	15
Otselic	—	909 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.

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.

Questions about natural hazards in Georgetown

Does Georgetown flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Georgetown since 1981, $22K in all.

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 Madison County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

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 (2006): $33K to the Town of Georgetown for repairs.

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.

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