162 flood insurance claims·$1.9M paid·4 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 Houston 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 floods dominate the flood character of Houston County, accounting for 16 tropical storm and 14 flash flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 6 floods and 2 hurricanes. Recent impacts are highlighted by events such as September 2024, when Hurricane Helene brought prolonged heavy rainfall and 50 to 100 mph wind gusts across central Georgia, and September 2020, when the remnants of Tropical Storm Sally dropped 2 to 8 inches of rain.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that flood risk extends beyond designated high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 110 claims with an average payout of $15,971 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone X records 44 claims with an average payout of $19,093 and an average water depth of 43 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED has 6 claims averaging $20,362 with an average water depth of 6 inches, while Zone X_SHADED includes 2 claims averaging $55,000 with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in both high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone A) and moderate-to-low risk zones (Zone X) should pay close attention to these historical claim depths and event patterns when evaluating property risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Houston County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
118 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 16 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 1994, with 74 claims and $1.0M paid.
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.
18 NOAA storm reports from Houston County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 18, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Tropical Storm Frances | Sep 3, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $1,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $2,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 19, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 17, 2020 | $40,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 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…
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.
Flash Flood · Apr 19, 2020. A warm front over central Georgia combined with low pressure riding along this boundary produced wind damage and enhanced rainfall over the area. ||An axis of extremely heavy rainfall set up in a zone from Columbus to Warner Robins as the result of training storms along the warm front. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches were common, resulting in flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Sep 17, 2020. A weakening Tropical Storm Sally moved into Georgia on September 16th, spreading heavy rainfall amounts and producing damaging winds in north and central Georgia. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 8 inches occurred, with the axis of heaviest rainfall extending from near Columbus, to Macon, to Augusta. The highest winds were observed in the metro Atlanta area as Sally's convective bands moved through late on September 16th.
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 Houston 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.