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Natural hazard risk in Chatham County, Georgia

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Relatively High (score 97.4 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$276.7 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1977
17[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$82.5 million[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
31[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural hazard risk for Chatham County, Georgia as Relatively High compared with other US counties, with a score of 97.4 out of 100[5]. The hazards with the highest FEMA scores here are hurricane, coastal flooding and lightning[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) estimates Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Chatham County at $276.7 million a year[1]. This is a FEMA estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid[7]. FEMA's sorted values show the largest parts come from hurricane at $189.0 million a year, then inland flooding at $41.9 million a year, then coastal flooding at $13.1 million a year[8]. FEMA rates social vulnerability as Relatively Moderate, with a score of 42.0[9]. FEMA rates community resilience as Very High, with a score of 93.7[10].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
HurricaneVery High$189.0 million[11]
Coastal FloodingVery High$13.1 million[12]
LightningRelatively High$2.0 million[13]
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$6.4 million[14]
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$12.5 million[15]
WildfireRelatively Moderate$2.0 million[16]
Inland FloodingRelatively Moderate$41.9 million[17]
Ice StormRelatively High$891,000[18]
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$1.3 million[19]
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$3.6 million[20]
TornadoRelatively Moderate$3.4 million[21]
HailRelatively Low$532,000[22]
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$120,000[23]
DroughtRelatively Low$54,000[24]
LandslideVery Low$102[25]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, volcanic activity[26].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate42.0[9]
Community resilienceVery High93.7[10]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates coastal flooding risk Very High compared with other US counties, with a score of 96.0 out of 100[12]. FEMA rates inland flooding Relatively Moderate, with a score of 90.8[17]. OpenFEMA lists 19,764 residential flood insurance contracts in force in Chatham County as of 2026-08-03[27]. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 10,556 flood insurance contracts for 12,957 residential structures, a rate of 81.5%[27]. OpenFEMA NFIP claims data records 5,467 claims for losses in the county from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $82.5 million in total[3].

Measure Value
Coastal Flooding, FEMA risk rating[12] Very High, $13.1 million expected loss a year
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[17] Relatively Moderate, $41.9 million expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[27] 19,764 of 95,823 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[27] 12,957, of which 10,556 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 5,467 filed, $82.5 million paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[28]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Chatham County since 1977[2]. Hurricane declarations are the most common type, at 9[2]. The most recent listed is DR-4830-GA for Hurricane Helene, declared 2024-09-30[29]. NOAA's tornado database records 31 tornadoes that touched the county from 1950 to 2024, and the strongest were rated EF2[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Chatham County, since 1977
Incident type Declarations
Hurricane[2] 9
Tropical Storm[2] 3
Severe Storm[2] 2
Drought[2] 1
Freezing[2] 1
Snowstorm[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
DR-4830-GA[29] Hurricane Helene 2024-09-30
EM-3616-GA[29] Hurricane Helene 2024-09-26
DR-4821-GA[29] Tropical Storm Debby 2024-09-24
EM-3607-GA[29] Hurricane Debby 2024-08-05
EM-3422-GA[29] Hurricane Dorian 2019-09-01

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Hurricanes

Before

  • Know your hurricane risk, including rain, wind and tornadoes far inland from landfall.
  • Learn your evacuation zone and routes, and practice them with your household and pets.
  • Keep insurance policies and ID current, with password-protected digital copies.
  • Clear drains and gutters, bring in outdoor furniture and consider hurricane shutters.
  • Keep your phone charged, buy backup chargers and gather supplies, including medication and pet supplies.

During

  • If you are in a mandatory evacuation zone and officials order an evacuation, leave right away.
  • For high winds, take shelter in a designated storm shelter or an interior room.
  • If you are trapped by flooding, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, hurricanes

Floods

Before

  • Check your flood risk with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and remember that floods do not follow map lines.
  • Sign up for your community's warning system. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts.
  • Buy flood insurance through the NFIP well before a disaster. Homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and a new policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.
  • Make a household plan with evacuation routes, shelter locations and what to do in a flash flood.
  • Keep important documents in a waterproof container and make password-protected digital copies.

During

  • If you are told to evacuate, leave right away and never drive around barricades.
  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down.
  • If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, floods

Extreme heat

Before

  • Learn the signs of heat illness and how to respond.
  • Do not rely on a fan as your main way to stay cool. Fans do not lower body temperature.
  • Find cool public places, such as libraries or malls, or ask your local health department.
  • Keep heat out with window shades, weather stripping and insulation.
  • If you cannot afford cooling costs, contact LIHEAP for help.

During

  • Never leave a person or an animal in a parked car in warm weather.
  • If your home has no air conditioning, go to a cooling center.
  • Wear light, loose clothing, drink plenty of fluids and avoid hard outdoor work in the middle of the day.

Source: Ready.gov, extreme heat

Questions people ask

Is Chatham County at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates coastal flooding risk Very High and inland flooding Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[12][17]. To learn about a specific address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[28].
Is Chatham County at risk of hurricanes?
FEMA rates hurricane risk Very High for Chatham County, with a score of 99.3 out of 100[11]. OpenFEMA lists 9 hurricane declarations that include the county since 1977[2].
Does Chatham County get tornadoes?
NOAA's tornado database records 31 tornadoes that touched Chatham County from 1950 to 2024[4]. FEMA rates tornado risk Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[21].
How many disasters were declared in Chatham County?
OpenFEMA lists 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Chatham County since 1977[2]. 7 were major disaster declarations and 10 were emergency or fire management declarations[2].
How can I check a flood zone?
Flood zones apply to specific properties. Look up an address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or ask the local floodplain manager[28].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Chatham County is $276.7 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively High, score 97.2). Of this, buildings account for $241.7 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for $34.6... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 17 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Chatham County since 1977 (7 major disaster, 10 emergency or fire management). By incident type: hurricane 9, tropical storm 3, severe storm 2, drought 1, freezing 1, snowstorm 1. Biological (such as... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 5,467 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Chatham County, 3,958 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $82.5 million in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year paid).... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 31 recorded tornadoes touched Chatham County. The strongest were rated EF2 (most recent of them on 2017-05-23). 0 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2019-05-04. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for Chatham County is Relatively High, with a Risk Index score of 97.4 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for Chatham County are hurricane (99.3, Very High), coastal flooding (96.0, Very High), lightning (95.4, Relatively High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published scores; FEMA's... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  8. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for Chatham County (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are hurricane ($189.0 million a year), inland flooding ($41.9 million a year), coastal flooding ($13.1 million a year), out of $276.7 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Chatham County is Relatively Moderate (score 42.0). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Chatham County is Very High (score 93.7). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 99.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $189.0 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 0.35 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 172 years for the... FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), coastal flooding in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Very High (score 96.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $13.1 million a year (rating Very High). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 3.6724 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 95.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.0 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 64.88 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 95.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $6.4 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 9.53 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of... FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 94.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $12.5 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0024 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 92.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $2.0 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0021 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 90.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $41.9 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.29 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of... FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 89.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $891,000 a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 0.48 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 80.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.3 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 1.12 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38... FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 79.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $3.6 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.61 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of... FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 77.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $3.4 million a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.19 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 69.1 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $532,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 1.71 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Moderate (score 67.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $120,000 a year (rating Relatively Moderate). Annualized frequency 0.61 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18... FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), drought in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 37.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $54,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 18.34 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 22 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  25. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Chatham County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 18.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $102 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  26. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Chatham County: avalanche, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered geographically possible there. FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  27. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 19,764 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Chatham County, out of 95,823 residential structures, a penetration rate of 20.6%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 12,957 residential structures and 10,556... OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  28. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  29. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.