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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dodson Branch · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Dodson Branch than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dodson Branch gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then tornadoes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 73%Tornadoes 11%Hail 6%

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 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Tennessee · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
73% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 31 declared for Jackson County
By hazard

What Dodson Branch 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

73%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 20 years in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms top 4% Hurricanes Lightning Wildfire 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 10% of Dodson Branch’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 Dodson Branch’s grade

River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dodson Branch, and Dodson Branch’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 11%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dodson Branch sits
Dodson Branch
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Dodson Branch’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding73%Tornadoes11%Hail6%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $394K a year in losses across Dodson Branch: $254K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dodson Branch’s 1,160 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Dodson Branch flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dodson Branch. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Jackson County.
Disasters

The storms Dodson Branch remembers

None of the 31 disasters declared for Jackson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dodson Branch itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Dodson BranchJackson County only

Jackson County has had 31 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Dodson Branch 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 ↗
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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Dodson Branch

Is Dodson Branch at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dodson Branch has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (11%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Dodson Branch 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 Jackson County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dodson Branch?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dodson Branch’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Dodson Branch at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Dodson Branch’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dodson Branch.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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