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Dover HotelPhoto: rjones0856 from USA · CC BY 2.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Dover · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Dover than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then earthquakes (26%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 51%Earthquakes 26%Tornadoes 12%

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 71%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 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
51% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 17 declared for Stewart County
By hazard

What Dover 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

51%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

26%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Hail Winter storms top 5% 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 tornadoes at 20% of Dover’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (11.9%), 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 Dover’s grade

River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dover, and Dover’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 12%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dover sits
Dover
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding51%Earthquakes26%Tornadoes12%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Dover: $584K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dover’s 1,826 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 Dover flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dover. 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

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

Insurance rates: Stewart County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dover

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$300 aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes9 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding49 households applied for aid$89K aid approved
  4. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes28 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$9K to the City of Dover for repairs
  5. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$2K to the City of Dover for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DoverStewart County only

Stewart County has had 17 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 Dover after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Dover archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Dover 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Dover

Is Dover at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and earthquakes (26%). 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 Dover 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 Stewart County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dover?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dover, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2011): 49 households applied for aid, $89K approved.

Is Dover at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Dover’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dover.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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