Sylacauga’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sylacauga comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1995. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Sylacauga’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Sylacauga flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sylacauga, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Opal2 claims · $16K
Sylacauga isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Talladega County.How exposed is Sylacauga?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 43% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Calmer than 535 of the 594 Alabama towns we cover.
Sylacauga covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Sylacauga and its neighbors
Sylacauga has the lowest rating of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville | Very high | inland flooding | 0 |
| Childersburg | High | inland flooding | 4 |
| Oak Grove | High | inland flooding | 0 |
| Mignon | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Sylacauga | Moderate | inland flooding | 15 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
What Sylacauga faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sylacauga
Disasters that paid out in Sylacauga itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sylacauga) and its biggest flood years.
- 2020Hurricane Zeta$501K to the City of Sylacauga for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding37 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$4K to the City of Sylacauga for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan37 households applied for aid$65K aid approved$145K to the City of Sylacauga for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
Talladega County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Old photos of Sylacauga after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sylacauga archive →Get ready for what Sylacauga actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in March–May
The month each of Talladega County’s 23 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Sylacauga’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Sylacauga.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Sylacauga, expected losses total about $3.1M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sylacauga.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.