Storms, floods and disasters in Shelbyville
Shelbyville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Shelbyville has 188 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Shelbyville 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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.
Does Shelbyville flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Shelbyville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Shelbyville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Shelby County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Shelbyville
Disasters that paid out in Shelbyville itself (aid to households or repair grants to Shelbyville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Beryl73 households applied for aid$67K aid approved
- 2021Severe Winter Storms92 households applied for aid$47K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Ike11 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Rita401 households applied for aid$246K aid approved
Shelby County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Shelbyville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shelbyville archive →Get ready for what Shelbyville 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Shelbyville
Is Shelbyville 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 Shelby County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Shelbyville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shelbyville’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 Shelbyville?
By FEMA money that reached Shelbyville, Hurricane Rita (2005): 401 households applied for aid, $246K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shelbyville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shelbyville’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.