22 flood insurance claims·$179,440 paid·4 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 Ben Hill 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.
Flash flooding and tropical systems dominate the flood history of Ben Hill County, supported by 10 flash flood events, 8 tropical storms, 4 floods, and 2 hurricanes over the last 30 years. Recent impacts include severe storms and flash flooding in March 2024, followed by multiple rounds of severe storms and flash flooding during the May 2024 period. Hurricane Helene also brought severe regional impacts in September 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims distributed across designated areas. Zone A properties experienced 9 claims with an average payout of $14,251 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Zone X properties also recorded 9 claims, averaging a $7,097 payout and an average water depth of 4 inches, while properties with an unknown zone status recorded 4 claims averaging a $30,000 payout and an average water depth of 3 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within high-risk Zone A, where average flood depths and payouts are significantly higher, as well as properties outside designated high-risk areas that remain vulnerable to flash flooding from severe storms and tropical systems.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 9 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1998, with 4 claims and $72,533 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
12 NOAA storm reports from Ben Hill County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Mar 26, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Tropical Storm Frances | Sep 3, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
24 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 26, 2024 | $10.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 9, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | $250,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Nov 10, 2022 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 8, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 8, 2021 | $20,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · May 27, 2024. Multiple rounds of severe storms impacted portions of southern Georgia during the May 25-28 period. Large hail and damaging wind gusts were reported, along with a few reports of flash flooding.
Hurricane (Typhoon) · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2024. Slow moving thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding across the area.
Flash Flood · Mar 9, 2024. A line of thunderstorms moved through the tri-state area ahead of a cold front. Severe weather and flash flooding accompanied this line, mainly across southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, although a few trees were also blown down in northwest Florida. One tornado was reported in Dale County, AL, and another tornado briefly occurred in northeast Leon County, FL extending into Jefferson county, FL.
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 Ben Hill 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.