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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Three Way · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Three Way than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Three Way gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (54%), then river and rain flooding (33%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2007.

Earthquakes 54%River and rain flooding 33%Tornadoes 11%

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 76%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 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2007 · $244K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 18 declared for Madison County
By hazard

What Three Way faces

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

Earthquakes

54%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

33%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hurricanes Strong wind Hail Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Cold waves 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 cold waves at 14% of Three Way’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Three Way’s grade

Earthquakes are 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Three Way, and Three Way’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 11%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Three Way sits
Three Way
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes54%River and rain flooding33%Tornadoes11%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Three Way: $755K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Three Way’s 1,877 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 Three Way flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2007

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Three Way, from FEMA’s records: 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 3 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20072010
20072026
Biggest named events
  • The Late spring storms3 claims · $241K
4
paid claims since 2007
$244K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$61K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Madison County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Three Way

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

  1. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$22K to the City of Three Way for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Three WayMadison County only

Madison County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Three Way after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Three Way archive →
Next door

Three Way and its neighbors

Three Way has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Humboldt: hazard risk DHumboldtThree Way
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Three WayC−more damage than 76%earthquakes4
HumboldtDmore damage than 87%earthquakes43

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Three Way 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 Three Way

Is Three Way at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Three Way has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (54%) and river and rain flooding (33%). 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 Three Way flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Three Way since 2007, $244K in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Late spring storms (3).

Is Three Way 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 Madison County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Three Way?

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

By FEMA money that reached Three Way, Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2010): $22K to the City of Three Way for repairs. By flood claims, Late spring storms: 3 paid, $241K.

Is Three Way at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Three Way’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Three Way.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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