20 flood insurance claims·$133,966 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 Sequatchie County, Tennessee. 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 heavy rainfall systems dominates the flood history of Sequatchie County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 16 flash flood events, 10 general flood events resulting in one death, and one tropical storm event.
Recent history demonstrates the vulnerability to heavy rainfall and tropical systems. In September 2024, Tropical Storm Helene brought catastrophic flash and river flooding following days of heavy rain from a stalled upper low. Earlier, in July 2025, isolated thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding in the far northwestern portion of the county.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that flood claims are heavily concentrated in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 19 claims with an average payout of $6,829 and an average recorded water depth of two inches. By contrast, Zone X accounts for a single claim with an average payout of $4,219 and zero inches of recorded water depth. Property owners in Zone A and those near designated flood zones should pay the closest attention to flood risks and mitigation measures.
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 2 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 2009, with 14 claims and $30,251 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Sequatchie County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Tennessee flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 2, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Feb 19, 2019 |
| Smith Mountain Fire Complex | Nov 11, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 5, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Associated Flooding | Apr 25, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 10, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
27 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Mar 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 18, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 6, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Feb 23, 2019 | $100,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2025. Isolated thunderstorms over the Cumberland plateau produced some locally heavy rains and flash flooding in far northwest Sequatchie county.
Flash Flood · Sep 27, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene caps off a several day heavy rainfall event in association with a stalled closed upper low that drew a stream of tropical moisture into the area on the 25th and 26th. The arrival of Helene on the 27th yielded catastrophic flash flooding and river flooding, as well as significant wind damage as wet soils and strong wind gusts led to forest damage.
Flash Flood · May 9, 2024. A cutoff low over the North Plains, coupled with intense winds aloft and a cold front at the surface, helped spawn multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms that produced hail, flash flooding, and damaging winds to East Tennessee.
Flood · Feb 23, 2022. A moist southwesterly flow aloft ran nearly parallel to a stalled cold front near east Tennessee on the 23rd. A surface low near Lake Charles LA would move up the boundary and produce a second round of rains on the 24th.
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 Sequatchie 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.