574 flood insurance claims·$5.2M 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 Richmond 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 dominates the flood history of Richmond County. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records over the last 30 years, the county experienced 32 flash flood events compared to 3 tropical storm events, though tropical storms accounted for 7 deaths. Recent events include flash flooding caused by slow-moving thunderstorms with heavy rain on June 20, 2023, and July 6, 2024, as well as widespread significant wind damage from Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024.
NFIP claim data shows that flood losses extend beyond high-risk areas. Zone A recorded 356 claims with an average payout of $12,719 and an average water depth of 12 inches. Meanwhile, Zone X recorded 140 claims with an average payout of $10,454 and an average water depth of 20 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 74 claims with an average payout of $11,462 and an average water depth of 4 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 3 claims averaging $1,481 with 0 inches of recorded water depth, and Zone V recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $1,043 and 0 inches of recorded water depth.
Homeowners and real estate agents in both designated high-risk zones and moderate-to-low risk Zone X areas should pay close attention to flood risk, given that significant claim counts and water depths occur outside of traditional special flood hazard areas.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Richmond County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
434 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 13 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 1990, with 72 claims and $939,058 paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding.
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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Richmond County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 3 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 Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 10, 2014 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
35 since 1996: 32 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $500.0M · 7 killed |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2023 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2023 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 17, 2020 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 11, 2018 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central Georgia by early morning on September 27. Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm and produced…
Flash Flood · Jul 6, 2024. A weak front acted as a trigger for multiple slow-moving thunderstorms with heavy rain that caused flash flooding in portions of east central GA.
Tropical Storm · Aug 30, 2023. Lifting up out of the Big Bend of Florida, Hurricane Idalia weakened to a Tropical Storm as it moved into southeastern Georgia. This system produced scattered tree damage and isolated flooding in the Central Savannah River Area.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2023. An upper low, surface tropical wave, and a very moist atmosphere combined to produce rain in the Central Savannah River Area during the morning, which resulted in flooding of roads in Augusta.
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 Richmond 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.