Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Ridgetop’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgetop gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2019.
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 Ridgetop 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Ridgetop’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ridgetop, and Ridgetop’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% 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 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ridgetop’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $575K a year in losses across Ridgetop: $337K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ridgetop flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2019
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ridgetop, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ridgetop 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.The storms Ridgetop remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Robertson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ridgetop itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20191 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Robertson County
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 Ridgetop after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ridgetop archive →Ridgetop and its neighbors
Ridgetop is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbrier | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ridgetop | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Nashville | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Millersville | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
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 Ridgetop 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Ridgetop
Is Ridgetop at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgetop has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and tornadoes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ridgetop flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Ridgetop since 2019, $1K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ridgetop 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 Ridgetop?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ridgetop’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ridgetop at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Ridgetop’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ridgetop.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ridgetop’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.