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Lafayette-courthouse-square-NW-tn1Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lafayette · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Lafayette than in 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #31 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 53%Earthquakes 18%Tornadoes 14%

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

less than 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#31 of 177 in Tennessee
Hazard risk
B+#31 of 177
in Tennessee · lower than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
53% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 16 declared for Macon County
By hazard

What Lafayette 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

53%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

18%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Ice storms Winter storms Lightning top 2% Hurricanes 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 15% of Lafayette’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Lafayette’s grade

River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lafayette, and Lafayette’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lafayette sits
Lafayette
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #31 of 177 in Tennessee; lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Lafayette’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding53%Earthquakes18%Tornadoes14%Everything else15%

The typical Tennessee town has higher expected damage than 53% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lafayette has less expected damage per building than 83% of Tennessee towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Lafayette: $968K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Lafayette covers 3 census tracts, combined by where 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 Lafayette flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Macon County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lafayette

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

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm114 households applied for aid$68K aid approved$253K to the City of Lafayette for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes15 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes112 households applied for aid$275K aid approved$71K to the City of Lafayette for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding466 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$324K to the City of Lafayette for repairs
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LafayetteMacon County only

Macon County has had 16 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lafayette archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Lafayette 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 Lafayette

Is Lafayette at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #31 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Lafayette 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 Macon County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lafayette?

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

By FEMA money that reached Lafayette, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2008): 466 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved, and $324K to the City of Lafayette for repairs.

Is Lafayette at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Lafayette’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lafayette.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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