Natural hazards · Waynesboro

Waynesboro, TN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Waynesboro comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 2003. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Waynesboro?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Waynesboro to be higher than in 77% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding46%Tornadoes21%Cold waves14%Earthquakes11%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Waynesboro faces

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

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

21% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Cold waves

14% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

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 Waynesboro flood?

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

22paid claims since 2003

$501Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

20032026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 9 claims, $155K
Heavy rains: 2 claims, $13K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Wayne County.

Disasters that hit Waynesboro

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WaynesboroDeclared for Wayne County only

2026

Severe Winter Storm

64 households applied for aid $75K aid approved

2023

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes

58 households applied for aid $397K aid approved

2010

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

161 households applied for aid $366K aid approved

2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

139 households applied for aid $611K aid approved

Wayne County has had 23 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. Waynesboro 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 Waynesboro’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Waynesboro. 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.