2 flood insurance claims·$53,458 paid·6 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Banks County, Georgia. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flood risk in Banks County is characterized primarily by tropical storms and flash flooding. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 15 tropical storm events, 12 flash flood events, 3 flood events, and 2 hurricane events.
Recent historical events illustrate this activity. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene brought widespread heavy rainfall and wind gusts between 50 and 100 mph to portions of Georgia. In October 2020, the remnants of Hurricane Delta brought heavy rainfall and flooding to portions of northeast Georgia, followed later that month by Tropical Storm Zeta, which produced isolated flooding and widespread wind damage across north Georgia.
Federal insurance claims data reflects minimal historical payouts in the available records, with one recorded claim in Zone A averaging a $53,458 payout and 0 inches of recorded water depth, and one claim in Zone X averaging a $0 payout and 0 inches of recorded water depth. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk and potential insurance requirements, alongside properties situated in lower-lying areas prone to flash flooding during severe tropical systems.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9 NOAA storm reports from Banks County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Zeta | Oct 29, 2020 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 15, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Ivan | Sep 14, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
32 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $3,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 29, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 10, 2020 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 12, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2013 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida at 11 PM EDT. Helene moved quickly inland bringing wind gusts between 50 and 100 mph to portions of east and central Georgia. Widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches were observed in association with Helene across north and central Georgia. The highest rainfall amounts were primarily observed in portions of east-c…
Tropical Storm · Oct 29, 2020. During the late evening of October 28th through the morning of October 29th, Tropical Storm Zeta swept rapidly across north Georgia producing widespread wind damage and isolated flooding across north and portions of central Georgia. Around 1.5 million customers lost electricity for some period of time, some for several days.
Flash Flood · Oct 10, 2020. During the afternoon and evening of October 10th, as the remnants of Hurricane Delta passed northwest of Georgia, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico spread across the area. Several weak tornadoes occurred in north and central Georgia in addition to pockets of heavy rainfall and flooding across the Atlanta metropolitan area and portions of northeast Georgia.
Flash Flood · Apr 19, 2019. Another in a series of deep upper-level troughs and its associated surface low and cold front moved through the region. Marginal instability but moderate to high shear and strong dynamics resulted in a line of strong thunderstorms, with isolated damaging winds and a few tornadoes, that swept through north and central Georgia during the morning. Training storms and ample moisture produced a swath of heavy rain stre…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Banks County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.