Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Tullahoma’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tullahoma gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #81 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then tornadoes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1983.
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 Tullahoma 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 Tullahoma’s grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tullahoma, and Tullahoma’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 21%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #81 of 177 in Tennessee; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tullahoma’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Tennessee town has higher expected damage than 53% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tullahoma has less expected damage per building than 55% of Tennessee towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.7M a year in losses across Tullahoma: $5.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tullahoma flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tullahoma, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Tullahoma isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Coffee County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tullahoma
Disasters that paid out in Tullahoma itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tullahoma), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms$27K to the City of Tullahoma for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 1998Severe Winter Storm$562K to the City of Tullahoma for repairs
Coffee County has had 17 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.
Old photos of Tullahoma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tullahoma archive →Tullahoma and its neighbors
Tullahoma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullahoma | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lynchburg | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Tullahoma 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 Tullahoma
Is Tullahoma at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tullahoma has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #81 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and tornadoes (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tullahoma flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Tullahoma since 1983, $47K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Tullahoma 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 Coffee County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tullahoma?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tullahoma’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 Tullahoma?
By FEMA money that reached Tullahoma, Severe Winter Storm (1998): $562K to the City of Tullahoma for repairs.
Is Tullahoma at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Tullahoma’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tullahoma.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tullahoma’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.