FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Midtown as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Midtown gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then earthquakes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1994.
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 Midtown 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 Midtown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Midtown, and Midtown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 16% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Midtown’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $450K a year in losses across Midtown: $259K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Midtown flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Midtown, from FEMA’s records: 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Midtown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Roane County.The storms Midtown remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Roane County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Midtown itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Roane County
- 19941 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20021 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Tornados, declared for Roane County
Roane County has had 20 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.
Old photos of Midtown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Midtown archive →Midtown and its neighbors
Midtown has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midtown | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Harriman | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Midtown 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 Midtown
Is Midtown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Midtown has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and earthquakes (16%). 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 Midtown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Midtown since 1994, $15K in all, or 4.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Midtown 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 Roane County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Midtown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Midtown’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Midtown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Midtown’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Midtown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Midtown’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.