Photo: Chaplain iMonk · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Fairfield Glade than in 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Glade gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #18 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Fairfield Glade 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Strong wind
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.
What’s behind Fairfield Glade’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfield Glade, and Fairfield Glade’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #18 of 177 in Tennessee; lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fairfield Glade’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Tennessee town has higher expected damage than 53% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fairfield Glade has less expected damage per building than 90% of Tennessee towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Fairfield Glade: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairfield Glade flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fairfield Glade. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Fairfield Glade isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cumberland County.The storms Fairfield Glade remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Cumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fairfield Glade itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Cumberland 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.
Get ready for what Fairfield Glade 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Fairfield Glade
Is Fairfield Glade at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Glade has lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #18 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Fairfield Glade 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 Cumberland County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fairfield Glade?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairfield Glade’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Fairfield Glade at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Fairfield Glade’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfield Glade.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairfield Glade’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.