6 flood insurance claims·$4,777 paid·7 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 Emanuel 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 hurricanes dominate the flood hazard profile of Emanuel County, accounting for over two-thirds of the recorded storm events over the last 30 years.
Recent history underscores this vulnerability. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene brought prolonged heavy rain and widespread rainfall totals between 6 and 14 inches across the region. Additionally, in August 2023, Hurricane Idalia brought tropical storm-force winds and 3 to 6 inches of rain, resulting in tree and powerline damage across Emanuel County.
National Flood Insurance Program records reflect claims in both high-risk and moderate-to-low risk areas. Properties in Zone A recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $1,371 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Properties in Zone X recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $1,703 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in both Zone A and Zone X should pay close attention to these flood risks, as damaging tropical systems frequently impact the area.
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 3 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 2 claims and $720 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.
13 NOAA storm reports from Emanuel County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 7 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 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 30, 2023 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Hurricane Matthew | Oct 4, 2016 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
29 since 1996: 4 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | $10,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | $25,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | $6,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2018 | $50,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
— = 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…
Hurricane (Typhoon) · 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…
Tropical Storm · Aug 30, 2023. Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a category 3 hurricane. As Idalia moved inland to the northeast, it brought tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain to much of south Georgia, including far southeast counties of NWS Peachtree City CWFA (Telfair to Toombs county) where winds gusted between 40-50 mph and 3 to 6 inches of rain occurred. Damage to trees and powerlines was observed i…
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2018. Stationary front draped over Georgia confined a plume of deep moisture over central and southern portions of the state. Afternoon heating kicked off thunderstorm development, with a large area of storms over east central Georgia lasting into the late evening hours. Rainfall amounts ranged from 2 to 5 inches, with 3 to 4 inches occurring over eastern Emanuel county and into neighboring Jenkins county. High rainfall…
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 Emanuel 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.