Natural hazards · Nashville

Nashville, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Nashville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1989. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Nashville?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Nashville to be higher than in 68% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding64%Tornadoes17%Strong wind6%Everything else13%

By hazard

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 21 years in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Nashville flood?

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

24paid claims since 1989

$1.8Mpaid to owners

6homes flooded more than once

19892026

Biggest named events

Storm: 3 claims, $204K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Brown County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

43flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Nashville

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into NashvilleDeclared for Brown County only

2025

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

$24K to the Town of Nashville for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes

183 households applied for aid $947K aid approved $14K to the Town of Nashville for repairs

2005

Severe Winter Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid

2004

Snow

$2K to the Town of Nashville for repairs

2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

6 households applied for aid $6K aid approved

2002

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

$5K to the Town of Nashville for repairs

Brown County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Nashville

Nashville and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Nashvillemostly inland floodingHigh

Washingtonmostly inland floodingHigh

Jacksonmostly 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. Nashville 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 Nashville’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Nashville. 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.