Greenberry Wilson House · Photo: PlateauFotog · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Lake Tansi’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Tansi gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #45 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then earthquakes (14%). 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 Lake Tansi 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
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
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 Lake Tansi’s grade
River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Tansi, and Lake Tansi’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #45 of 177 in Tennessee; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lake Tansi’s residents live in 2 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, Lake Tansi has less expected damage per building than 75% of Tennessee towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Lake Tansi: $611K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake Tansi flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lake Tansi. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Lake Tansi 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 Lake Tansi remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Cumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lake Tansi 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.
Lake Tansi and its neighbors
Lake Tansi is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossville | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lake Tansi | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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.
Get ready for what Lake Tansi 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Lake Tansi
Is Lake Tansi at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Tansi has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #45 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and earthquakes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Lake Tansi 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 Lake Tansi?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Tansi’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lake Tansi at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Lake Tansi’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Tansi.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Tansi’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.