Natural hazards · Highland Lakes

Highland Lakes, AL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Highland Lakes comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1995.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Highland Lakes?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Highland Lakes to be higher than in 51% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding48%Tornadoes36%Cold waves6%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Highland Lakes faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

36% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Highland Lakes flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highland Lakes, from FEMA’s records.

8paid claims since 1995

$106Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ivan: 2 claims, $39K
Tropical Storm Isidore: 1 claim, $693
Hurricane Katrina: 1 claim, $42K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Highland Lakes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Shelby County.

Disasters that hit Highland Lakes

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Shelby County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Highland Lakes itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Highland LakesDeclared for Shelby County only

Shelby County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Highland Lakes

Highland Lakes and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Shoal Creekmostly inland floodingHigh

Chelseamostly inland floodingHigh

Hoovermostly inland floodingHigh

Highland Lakesmostly inland floodingModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Highland Lakes covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Highland Lakes’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Highland Lakes. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Highland Lakes total about $3.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.