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Bartlett TN Welcome to BartlettPhoto: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) · CC BY 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bartlett · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Bartlett as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bartlett gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #89 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then earthquakes (29%). Flood insurance has paid 64 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 54%Earthquakes 29%Tornadoes 16%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#89 of 177 in Tennessee
Hazard risk
B−#89 of 177
in Tennessee · higher than 53% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
64
paid since 1978 · $1.6M
Flooded more than once
13
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
10
of 21 declared for Shelby County

What stands out about Bartlett’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way2 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201425 flood claims were paid for 2014 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Bartlett 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

54%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

29%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Hurricanes Lightning Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 15% of Bartlett’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bartlett’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bartlett, and Bartlett’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bartlett sits
Bartlett
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #89 of 177 in Tennessee; higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bartlett’s residents live in 17 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Earthquakes29%Tornadoes16%Everything else1%

The typical Tennessee town has higher expected damage than 53% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bartlett has more expected damage per building than 50% of Tennessee towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $25.9M a year in losses across Bartlett: $14.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 17 census tracts by where Bartlett’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bartlett flood? Sometimes: 64 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bartlett, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 6 claims1979: 10 claims1980: 4 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 3 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 9 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 25 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims197920102014
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Late spring storms9 claims · $281K
  • The Central U.S. April Flooding1 claim · $21K
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $17K
64
paid claims since 1978
$1.6M
paid to owners
13
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Shelby County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bartlett

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

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm197 households applied for aid$244K aid approved$26K to the City of Bartlett for repairs
  2. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$60K to the City of Bartlett for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2023Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$2.2M to the City of Bartlett for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2022Severe Winter Storm$29K to the City of Bartlett for repairs
  5. 2022Severe Winter Storm$1.1M to the City of Bartlett for repairs
  6. 2014Severe Winter Storm$269K to the City of Bartlett for repairs25 flood claims paid that year
Show all 10
  1. 2011Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$13K aid approved$269K to the City of Bartlett for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes127 households applied for aid$442K aid approved$108K to the City of Bartlett for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$736K to the City of Bartlett for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Storms, High Winds, and Heavy Rain98 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$472K to the City of Bartlett for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BartlettShelby County only

Shelby County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bartlett archive →
Next door

Bartlett and its neighbors

Bartlett is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Memphis: hazard risk CLakeland: hazard risk B−MemphisLakelandBartlett
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LakelandB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding9
BartlettB−more damage than 53%river and rain flooding64
MemphisCmore damage than 75%earthquakes345

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 Bartlett 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Bartlett

Is Bartlett at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bartlett has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #89 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and earthquakes (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Bartlett flood?

Flood insurance has paid 64 claims in Bartlett since 1978, $1.6M in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late spring storms (9).

Is Bartlett 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 Shelby County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bartlett?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bartlett, Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds (2023): $2.2M to the City of Bartlett for repairs. By flood claims, Late spring storms: 9 paid, $281K.

Is Bartlett at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Bartlett’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bartlett.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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