324 flood insurance claims·$5.6M paid·2 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 Catoosa 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.
Tropical storms and flash flooding dominate the flood history of Catoosa County, supported by 14 tropical storm events and 12 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years.
Recent events illustrate this pattern, including a flash flood on March 31, 2021, driven by strong thunderstorms that dropped 2 to 3.5 inches of rain over far northwest Georgia, and Tropical Storm Zeta on October 28, 2020, which produced widespread wind damage and isolated flooding. Additionally, Tropical Storm Helene brought heavy rainfall to Georgia in September 2024.
NFIP claims data shows that high-risk Zone A properties experienced the highest volume of impacts with 225 claims averaging 9 inches of recorded water depth and $17,764 in payouts. However, properties in Zone X, Zone X_UNSHADED, and Zone X_SHADED also filed significant claims—70 total—with average recorded water depths ranging from 2 to 7 inches and average payouts exceeding $25,000. Homeowners in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas and moderate-to-low risk shaded and unshaded Zone X areas should pay attention to flood risk, as claims and property damage occur across multiple zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Catoosa County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
276 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 7 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 2009, with 84 claims and $1.4M 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Catoosa County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 18, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 31, 2021 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Mar 17, 2021 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 11, 2017 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Feb 3, 2016 | $30,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2013 | $3,000 |
— = 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…
Flash Flood · Mar 31, 2021. Strong thunderstorms ahead of a cold front produced numerous reports of flooding across portions of north Georgia and scattered reports of damaging winds across parts of north and central Georgia. Rainfall was highest over far northwest Georgia where totals ranged from 2 to 3.5 inches with locally higher amounts.
Flash Flood · Mar 17, 2021. A deep upper-level low and associated surface cold front swept through north and central Georgia. Heavy rainfall produced a few reports of flooding in north Georgia with a severe thunderstorm producing hail the size of quarters in central Georgia.
Tropical Storm · Oct 28, 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.
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 Catoosa 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.