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Cleveland va december 2010Photo: ElleMDee · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Cleveland · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Cleveland

Cleveland isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cleveland has 369 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims
14
paid since 1978 · $107K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Russell County
By hazard

What Cleveland 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

94%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Landslides top 1% Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Wildfire Hail Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Avalanches top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 26% of Cleveland’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Cleveland flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cleveland, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 3 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 6 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims197820022020
19782026
14
paid claims since 1978
$107K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Russell County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
6flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cleveland

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene41 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$42K aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,floodind, and Mudslide5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClevelandRussell County only

Russell 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cleveland archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Cleveland 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 Cleveland

Does Cleveland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Cleveland since 1978, $107K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Cleveland 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 Russell County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cleveland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cleveland, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2004): 14 households applied for aid, $42K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cleveland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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