Natural hazards · Southside

Southside, AL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Southside comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Southside?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Southside to be higher than in 62% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding44%Tornadoes37%Cold waves5%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Southside faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

37% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 90 years in the area

Cold waves

5% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Southside flood?

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

1paid claims since 2015

$10Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20152026

Biggest named events

Early winter storms: 1 claim, $10K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Etowah County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

23storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Southside

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SouthsideDeclared for Etowah County only

2018

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

53 households applied for aid $79K aid approved $541K to the City of Southside for repairs

2011

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

29 households applied for aid $29K aid approved $12K to the City of Southside for repairs

Etowah County has had 27 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Southside

Southside and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Glencoemostly inland floodingHigh

Southsidemostly inland floodingHigh

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. Southside covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Southside’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Southside. 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 Southside total about $4.0M 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.