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Unicoi-town-hall-tn1Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Unicoi · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Unicoi as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unicoi gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #76 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 89%Earthquakes 3%Tornadoes 3%

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

less than 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#76 of 177 in Tennessee
Hazard risk
B−#76 of 177
in Tennessee · lower than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2018 · $34K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 13 declared for Unicoi County
By hazard

What Unicoi 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

89%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Wildfire Hurricanes Hail Lightning Landslides top 4% Winter storms Cold waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 17% of Unicoi’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 Unicoi’s grade

River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Unicoi, and Unicoi’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Unicoi sits
Unicoi
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #76 of 177 in Tennessee; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding89%Earthquakes3%Tornadoes3%Everything else4%

The typical Tennessee town has higher expected damage than 53% of U.S. towns; within the state, Unicoi has less expected damage per building than 57% of Tennessee towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $862K a year in losses across Unicoi: $596K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Tropical Storm Helene in 2024, FEMA took 232 aid registrations from Unicoi addresses (the town has 1,932 homes) and flood insurance paid 1 claims for $9K.
Shared tract.All of Unicoi’s 3,833 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 Unicoi flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Unicoi, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201820202024
20182026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene1 claim · $9K
4
paid claims since 2018
$34K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Unicoi County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Unicoi

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene232 households applied for aid$226K aid approved$101K to the Town of Unicoi for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $9K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in UnicoiUnicoi County only

Unicoi County has had 13 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Unicoi archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Unicoi faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 Unicoi

Is Unicoi at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Unicoi has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #76 of 177 in Tennessee. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). 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 Unicoi flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Unicoi since 2018, $34K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (1).

Is Unicoi 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 Unicoi County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Unicoi?

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

By FEMA money that reached Unicoi, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 232 households applied for aid, $226K approved, and $101K to the Town of Unicoi for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 1 paid, $9K.

Is Unicoi at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Unicoi’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Unicoi.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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