Natural hazards · Cave

Cave, AR natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cave comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Cave?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cave to be higher than in 86% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding41%Ice storms15%Tornadoes13%Earthquakes13%Cold waves9%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Cave faces

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

Inland flooding

41% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Ice storms

15% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Earthquakes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailWinter 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 Cave flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Sharp County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

8storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Cave

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into CaveDeclared for Sharp County only

2025

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $16K aid approved

2025

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

70 households applied for aid $654K aid approved

2009

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$2K to the City of Cave for repairs

2009

Severe Winter Storm

$108K to the City of Cave for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

3 households applied for aid $10K aid approved

2002

Severe Ice Storm

$40K to the City of Cave for repairs

Sharp County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

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