8 flood insurance claims·$155,897 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 Berrien 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 dominates the flood character of Berrien County, accounting for the majority of the area's recorded flood events. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 25 flash flood events, alongside 11 tropical storms and 2 hurricanes.
The severe impact of these events is illustrated by major flash flooding that occurred in April 2024 across portions of the Florida big bend and southern Georgia. During this event, between 6 and 10 inches of rain fell with localized higher amounts, causing rapid water rises, flooded cars and structures, and several million dollars in damage.
Federal insurance data indicates that flood risks affect properties across different designations. NFIP records show 5 claims in Zone A with an average payout of $24,315 and an average recorded water depth of 22 inches, and 3 claims in Zone X with an average payout of $35,755 and an average recorded water depth of 54 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to these historical flood depths and claim payouts when evaluating property risk.
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 38 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 2024, with 3 claims and $83,213 paid, the year of Hurricane Debby and Hurricane Helene.
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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Berrien County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 30, 2023 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jan 21, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Mar 26, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 25 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 26, 2024 | $100.0M |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Nov 7, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 7, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Nov 6, 2024 | — |
— = 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 · May 17, 2024. During the early morning hours of May 17th, a long lived derecho that impacted the north central Gulf coast clipped portions of Gulf and Franklin counties with significant wind gusts in excess of hurricane force measured, along with impacts to trees and power lines and minor structural damage. Later in the day and on May 18th, additional rounds of severe storms impacted the tri-state area with damage to trees and…
Flash Flood · Apr 11, 2024. A major flash flood event occurred across portions of the Florida big bend and southern Georgia during the late night hours of April 10th through the early morning hours of April 11th. Between 6 and 10 inches of rain fell with localized higher amounts, particularly over Tallahassee. This resulted in rapid water rises across Tallahassee with numerous cars and structures flooded. Several million dollars in flood…
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 Berrien 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.