Natural hazards · Fairburn

Fairburn, GA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Fairburn comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Fairburn?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Fairburn to be higher than in 7% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding64%Tornadoes11%Earthquakes9%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Fairburn faces

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

Inland flooding

64% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Fairburn flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Fulton County.

Disasters that hit Fairburn

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into FairburnDeclared for Fulton County only

2024

Hurricane Helene

461 households applied for aid $335K aid approved

2009

Severe Storms and Flooding

53 households applied for aid $89K aid approved

2008

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

4 households applied for aid

2004

Hurricane Ivan

11 households applied for aid $14K aid approved $9K to the City of Fairburn for repairs

Fulton County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Fairburn

Fairburn and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

South Fultonmostly inland floodingLow

Palmettomostly inland floodingVery low

Union Citymostly inland floodingVery low

Fairburnmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Fairburn covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Fairburn’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Fairburn. 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 Fairburn total about $2.4M 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.