6 flood insurance claims·$57,849 paid·2 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 Terrell 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 and tropical systems dominates the flood character of Terrell County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 8 flash floods, 5 tropical storms, 2 hurricanes, and 2 general floods.
Recent weather events illustrate these risks. In February 2024, a line of thunderstorms trained across southwest Georgia, dropping around 5 inches of rain and causing considerable flash flooding. Later that year in September 2024, Hurricane Helene moved inland through Georgia after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing severe wind and heavy rainfall to the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims have occurred in moderate-to-low risk areas, specifically Zone X with 5 claims averaging a $16,040 payout and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, alongside 1 claim in an unknown zone averaging a $9,729 payout. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone X and unmapped areas should pay close attention to these localized flood risks during severe weather.
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 1 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 2018, with 2 claims and $41,931 paid, the year of Hurricane Michael.
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.
12 NOAA storm reports from Terrell County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Georgia flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1994, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 24, 2024 |
| Hurricane Michael | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 7, 2017 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 27, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Feb 14, 1998 |
| Tornadoes, Flooding Torrential Rain(trop Storm Alberto) | Jul 3, 1994 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
17 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2025 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Feb 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 9, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Mar 4, 2020 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Oct 10, 2018 | $5.0M |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 10, 2017 | $1.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 18, 2025. A summertime pattern continued over the area with scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms. A few storms were severe with impacts to trees and power lines.
Tropical Storm · 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 · Feb 12, 2024. A line of thunderstorms trained across parts of the tri-state area, bringing flash flooding to portions of southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia. Considerable flash flooding occurred across Houston county, Alabama where rainfall amounts near 7 inches were measured in just a few hours. In Georgia, rainfall amounts around 5 inches were observed. For the Florida panhandle, rainfall amounts were not as high, but…
Flash Flood · Mar 9, 2024. A line of thunderstorms moved through the tri-state area ahead of a cold front. Severe weather and flash flooding accompanied this line, mainly across southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, although a few trees were also blown down in northwest Florida. One tornado was reported in Dale County, AL, and another tornado briefly occurred in northeast Leon County, FL extending into Jefferson county, FL.
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 Terrell 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.