Natural hazards · Bolivar

Bolivar, TN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bolivar comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2010. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bolivar?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bolivar to be higher than in 66% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and tornadoes.

Earthquakes57%Tornadoes17%Inland flooding11%Cold waves9%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Bolivar faces

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

Earthquakes

57% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 53 years in the area

Inland flooding

11% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 11% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter 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 Bolivar flood?

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

1paid claims since 2010

$6Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20102026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 1 claim, $6K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Hardeman County.

Disasters that hit Bolivar

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into BolivarDeclared for Hardeman County only

2026

Severe Winter Storm

1,048 households applied for aid $3.4M aid approved

2025

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

45 households applied for aid $238K aid approved

2023

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes

159 households applied for aid $131K aid approved

2015

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$62K to the City of Bolivar for repairs

2010

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

54 households applied for aid $36K aid approved $17K to the City of Bolivar for repairs

2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $3K aid approved

Hardeman County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and tornadoes.

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