Natural hazards · Saks

Saks, AL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Saks comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Saks?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Saks to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding43%Tornadoes39%Earthquakes6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Saks faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

39% of expected damage

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

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Saks flood?

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

19paid claims since 1979

$281Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Opal: 2 claims, $20K
Hurricane Frederic: 1 claim, $2K
Hurricane Elena: 1 claim, $3K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Calhoun County.

Disasters that hit Saks

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into SaksDeclared for Calhoun County only

Calhoun County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Saks

Saks and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Alexandriamostly inland floodingHigh

Saksmostly inland floodingHigh

Annistonmostly inland floodingModerate

West End-Cobb Townmostly tornadoesLow

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. Saks covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Saks’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Saks. 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 Saks total about $4.7M 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.