5,467 flood insurance claims·$82.1M paid·3 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 Chatham 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 summer thunderstorms and tropical systems dominates the flood character of Chatham County, Georgia, supported by decades of recorded flash floods, tropical storms, and coastal flooding events in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent hazards are documented in NOAA narratives, such as the coastal flooding events on October 9 and 10, 2025, driven by strong northeast winds, offshore low pressure, and astronomical influences that pushed maximum tide levels to 9.84 feet and 10.35 feet MLLW at the Fort Pulaski tide gage. Heavy rainfall from surface fronts and thunderstorms also produced flash flooding, such as the event on August 5, 2025.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in high-risk zones. FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records show significant impacts across designations, including 3,364 claims in Zone A averaging $23,876 with an average recorded water depth of 3 inches, 1,711 claims in Zone X averaging $15,656 with an average recorded water depth of 6 inches, and 113 claims in coastal Zone V averaging $26,736 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Chatham County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
3,648 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 4 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 1999, with 1,163 claims and $17.1M paid, the year of Hurricane Floyd.
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.
67 NOAA storm reports from Chatham County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 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 Dorian | Aug 29, 2019 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Hurricane Matthew | Oct 4, 2016 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
217 since 1996: 93 flash floods, 2 river or area floods and 51 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 23, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 22, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 10, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 10, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Oct 9, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 23, 2025. Mid-level energy tracking across the region along with a deep moisture and modest instability residing near a stalled front led to an environment supportive of heavy rainfall across Southeast Georgia.
Flash Flood · Aug 22, 2025. A slow moving cold front encountering an environment displaying deep moisture and moderate instability supported thunderstorms capable of heavy rainfall across Southeast Georgia.
Coastal Flood · Oct 10, 2025. Strong northeast winds resulting from high pressure inland and developing low pressure offshore along with astronomical influences associated with a recent full moon and perigee, led to coastal flooding along coastal Southeast Georgia. A maximum tide level of 10.35 ft MLLW (2.85 ft MHHW) was observed at 1036 AM EST at the Fort Pulaski tide gage during this event. Moderate coastal flooding typically begins along mu…
Coastal Flood · Oct 9, 2025. Strong northeast winds resulting from high pressure building inland and developing low pressure offshore along with astronomical influences associated with a recent full moon and perigee led to coastal flooding along the Southeast Georgia coast. A maximum tide level of 9.84 ft MLLW (2.33 ft MHHW) was observed at 936 AM EST at the Fort Pulaski tide gage during this event. Minor coastal flooding impacts are typicall…
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 Chatham 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.