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Natural hazards · Red Bay

Red Bay, AL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Red Bay comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Red Bay?

51
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

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

Tornadoes31%Inland flooding29%Cold waves18%Earthquakes11%Everything else11%
By hazard

What Red Bay faces

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

Tornadoes

31% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Inland flooding

29% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

18% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

11% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Red Bay flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Red Bay isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

11storm safe rooms built
Disasters that hit Red Bay

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Red Bay itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Red Bay.

Brought FEMA money into Red BayDeclared for Franklin County only
2019

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$39K to the City of Red Bay for repairs
2015

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$109K to the City of Red Bay for repairs
2014

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$24K to the City of Red Bay for repairs
2011

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

17 households applied for aid $2K aid approved $64K to the City of Red Bay for repairs
2004

Hurricane Ivan

1 household applied for aid
Franklin County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
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. Red Bay is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Red Bay’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Red Bay. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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