174 flood insurance claims·$2.9M 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 Liberty 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 risk profile of Liberty County, Georgia, driven by frequent tropical weather systems and heavy rainfall. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 19 tropical storms, 13 flash floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 storm surge or tide events, 2 coastal floods, and 1 general flood. Recent activity includes Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024, the flood event associated with Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024, and Storm Surge/Tide from Hurricane Nicole in November 2022.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk varies significantly by FEMA zone. Zone A experienced the highest claims volume with 128 claims averaging $34,252 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone X recorded 39 claims with an average payout of $8,691 and an average recorded water depth of 44 inches. Zone X Unshaded logged 4 claims averaging $2,750 with an average depth of 1 inch, the Unknown zone recorded 1 claim averaging $333 with an average depth of 1 inch, and Zone V recorded 1 claim averaging $79,904 with an average depth of 10 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties in high-risk coastal and riverine areas, particularly those located in Zone A and Zone V where claims frequency and high-value payouts are concentrated, as well as properties in Zone X subject to deep standing water.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Liberty County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
134 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 2017, with 65 claims and $2.1M paid, the year of Hurricane Irma.
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.
11 NOAA storm reports from Liberty County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
18 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.
42 since 1996: 13 flash floods, 1 river or area floods and 5 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | — · 1 killed |
| Flood | Aug 7, 2024 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Nov 10, 2022 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 11, 2017 | $2.9M |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 7, 2016 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Oct 7, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2016 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 2, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 26, 2024. Helene first developed into a tropical storm in the northwest Caribbean Sea in the late morning of September 24, and strengthened into a hurricane near the Yucatan peninsula about 24 hours later. Helene continued to strengthen and became a major hurricane as it moved to the north-northeast across the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida in the late evening hours of Septemb…
Flood · Aug 7, 2024. Debby first developed into a tropical storm about 100 miles west-southwest of Key West, Florida late afternoon on August 3rd, then gradually strengthened to a strong tropical storm while tracking north across the eastern Gulf of Mexico on August 4th. Debby then reached hurricane force strength late on August 4th about 100 miles west-northwest of Tampa, before continuing a north-northeast track across the eastern G…
Storm Surge/Tide · Nov 10, 2022. Nicole first developed as a Subtropical Storm about 550 miles east of the northwest Bahamas in the morning of Monday, November 7th. Nicole remained a Subtropical Storm for a little over 24 hours, but eventually transitioned to a Tropical Storm late in the morning of Tuesday, November 8th. Nicole steadily strengthened and became a Hurricane in the early evening of Wednesday, November 9th, when it was centered about…
Storm Surge/Tide · Sep 11, 2017. Irma first developed into a tropical storm on August 30th about 420 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, and within 24 hours strengthened into a hurricane. Irma continued to intensify and became a major hurricane over the eastern Atlantic on September 1st. After undergoing a brief period of weakening on September 2nd, Irma once again strengthened into a major hurricane on September 3rd and maintained major hurr…
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 Liberty 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.