Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Orlinda than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orlinda gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then earthquakes (23%). 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 Orlinda 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 Orlinda’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orlinda, and Orlinda’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Orlinda’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $448K a year in losses across Orlinda: $312K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Orlinda flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Orlinda. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Orlinda isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Robertson County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Orlinda
Disasters that paid out in Orlinda itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Orlinda), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$27K to the City of Orlinda for repairs
Robertson County has had 10 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 Orlinda after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Orlinda archive →Orlinda and its neighbors
Orlinda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Orlinda | B+less damage than 70% | 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 Orlinda 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 Orlinda
Is Orlinda at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orlinda has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and earthquakes (23%). 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.
Is Orlinda 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 Robertson County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Orlinda?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Orlinda’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 Orlinda?
By FEMA money that reached Orlinda, Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2010): 4 households applied for aid, $1K approved, and $27K to the City of Orlinda for repairs.
Is Orlinda at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Orlinda’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orlinda.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Orlinda’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.