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Wayne-County-Courthouse-SE-tn2Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Waynesboro · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Waynesboro than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waynesboro gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then earthquakes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 73%Earthquakes 11%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 84%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 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
73% of expected building damage
Flood claims
22
paid since 2003 · $501K
Flooded more than once
1
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
4
of 21 declared for Wayne County
By hazard

What Waynesboro 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

73%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Hail Ice storms Lightning Wildfire 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 Waynesboro’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 Waynesboro’s grade

River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Waynesboro, and Waynesboro’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 11%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Waynesboro sits
Waynesboro
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding73%Earthquakes11%Tornadoes11%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Waynesboro: $847K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Waynesboro’s 2,317 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 Waynesboro flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Waynesboro, from FEMA’s records: 18.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 2 claims2004: 6 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 9 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 5 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420102021
20032026
Biggest named events
  • The Late spring storms9 claims · $155K
  • The Heavy rains2 claims · $13K
22
paid claims since 2003
$501K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$23K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wayne County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waynesboro

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

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm64 households applied for aid$75K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes58 households applied for aid$397K aid approved
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes161 households applied for aid$366K aid approved9 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding139 households applied for aid$611K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WaynesboroWayne County only

Wayne County has had 21 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 Waynesboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Waynesboro archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Waynesboro 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Waynesboro

Is Waynesboro at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waynesboro has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and earthquakes (11%). 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 Waynesboro flood?

Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Waynesboro since 2003, $501K in all, or 18.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late spring storms (9).

Is Waynesboro 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 Wayne County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Waynesboro?

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

By FEMA money that reached Waynesboro, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 139 households applied for aid, $611K approved. By flood claims, Late spring storms: 9 paid, $155K.

Is Waynesboro at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Waynesboro’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waynesboro.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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