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Charleston United Methodist Church and CemeteryCharleston United Methodist Church and Cemetery · Photo: Spencer Kellum · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Mason · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Mason than in 61% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mason gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (45%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2010.

Earthquakes 45%River and rain flooding 42%Tornadoes 9%

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 61%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 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
45% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2010 · $143K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 19 declared for Tipton County
By hazard

What Mason faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

45%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Hail 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 22% of Mason’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (9.2%), 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 Mason’s grade

Earthquakes are 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mason, and Mason’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Mason sits
Mason
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes45%River and rain flooding42%Tornadoes9%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $676K a year in losses across Mason: $217K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Mason’s 1,337 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 Mason flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mason, from FEMA’s records: 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20102014
20102026
Biggest named events
  • The Late spring storms1 claim · $68K
2
paid claims since 2010
$143K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$71K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Tipton County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mason

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

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm29 households applied for aid$56K aid approved
  2. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$244K to the Town of Mason for repairs
  3. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes10 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  5. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes195 households applied for aid$350K aid approved$102K to the Town of Mason for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$275 aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2006Severe Storms and Tornadoes7 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Storms, High Winds, and Heavy Rain1 households applied for aid$270 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MasonTipton County only

Tipton County has had 19 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 Mason after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Mason archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Mason faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Mason

Is Mason at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mason has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (45%) and river and rain flooding (42%). 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.

Does Mason flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Mason since 2010, $143K in all, or 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late spring storms (1).

Is Mason 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 Tipton County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mason?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mason, Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2010): 195 households applied for aid, $350K approved, and $102K to the Town of Mason for repairs. By flood claims, Late spring storms: 1 paid, $68K.

Is Mason at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Mason’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mason.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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