Natural hazards · Powell

Powell, AL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Powell comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Powell?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Powell to be higher than in 72% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding49%Tornadoes15%Cold waves13%Earthquakes8%Strong wind5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Powell faces

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

Inland flooding

49% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 97 years in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

8% of expected damage

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

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Powell flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Powell.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: DeKalb County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Powell

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PowellDeclared for DeKalb County only

DeKalb County has had 32 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Powell

Powell and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Powellmostly inland floodingHigh

Rainsvillemostly 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. Powell covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Powell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Powell. 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 Powell total about $616K 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.