2 flood insurance claims·$61,825 paid·5 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 Burke 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 from heavy rain events dominates the flood history of Burke County, Georgia. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 20 flash flood events, 4 general flood events, 3 tropical storm events resulting in 1 death, and 1 tropical depression event.
Recent occurrences illustrate these risks. On September 26, 2024, Tropical Storm Helene brought heavy rain rates and training bands driven by strong moisture transport and forcing from an upper low over the southeast United States, resulting in flash flooding across the area.
National Flood Insurance Program records reflect claims across different zones. Zone A recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $60,550 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $1,275 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Properties in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk given the significantly higher average payouts and water depths associated with those claims.
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 2 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Burke County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| 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 |
| Hurricane Matthew | Oct 4, 2016 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
28 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1.4M · 1 killed |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 6, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Aug 30, 2023 | $500 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central Georgia by early morning on September 27. Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm and produced…
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. During the day on September 26, Helene remained off the coast of Florida and an upper low over the southeast US led to strong moisture transport and strong forcing over the area. Heavy rain rates and training bands led to flash flooding develop…
Flash Flood · Jul 6, 2024. A weak front acted as a trigger for multiple slow-moving thunderstorms with heavy rain that caused flash flooding in portions of east central GA.
Flash Flood · Aug 6, 2024. Heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Debby occurred across the CSRA for several days. The event peaked in this region on August 6th in Burke County where multiple reports of flooding were reported.
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 Burke 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.