5 flood insurance claims·$35,844 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 Lanier 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 Lanier County, supported by numerous historical tropical storm and hurricane events recorded over the last thirty years alongside regular flash flooding.
Recent weather events highlight this vulnerability. In August 2024, Tropical Storm impacts brought heavy rainfall following Hurricane Debby's landfall. Later that year, Hurricane Helene moved inland across the region in September 2024, producing severe regional impacts. Additionally, heavy convective systems brought severe flash flooding to the broader area, including a major event in April 2024 and a slow-moving thunderstorm system in November 2024 that dropped approximately 10 inches of rain in a six-hour period nearby.
Federal insurance data for Lanier County shows historical National Flood Insurance Program claims concentrated in Zone A, which recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $8,961 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents managing properties within Zone A should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
The worst year was 2024, with 2 claims and $20,683 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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Lanier County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 5 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 Idalia | Aug 30, 2023 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Mar 26, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
19 since 1996: 5 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 26, 2024 | $100.0M |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Nov 7, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 5, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 30, 2023 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon, typical of summertime. A few trees were blown down with the strongest storms. In addition, slow moving storms produced localized flash flooding.
Flash Flood · May 27, 2024. Multiple rounds of severe storms impacted portions of southern Georgia during the May 25-28 period. Large hail and damaging wind gusts were reported, along with a few reports of flash flooding.
Hurricane (Typhoon) · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Flash Flood · Apr 11, 2024. A major flash flood event occurred across portions of the Florida big bend and southern Georgia during the late night hours of April 10th through the early morning hours of April 11th. Between 6 and 10 inches of rain fell with localized higher amounts, particularly over Tallahassee. This resulted in rapid water rises across Tallahassee with numerous cars and structures flooded. Several million dollars in flood…
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 Lanier 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.