Natural hazards · Whatley

Whatley, AL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Whatley comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is high 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 Whatley?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Whatley to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes39%Inland flooding26%Tornadoes15%Cold waves7%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Whatley faces

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

Hurricanes

39% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Inland flooding

26% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce 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 Whatley flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Clarke County.

Disasters that hit Whatley

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WhatleyDeclared for Clarke County only

2020

Hurricane Zeta

137 households applied for aid $228K aid approved

2011

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

53 households applied for aid $43K aid approved

2005

Hurricane Katrina

170 households applied for aid $455K aid approved

2004

Hurricane Ivan

344 households applied for aid $586K aid approved

2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

65 households applied for aid $69K aid approved

Clarke County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

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. Whatley 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 Whatley’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Whatley. 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.