Whiteville’s biggest natural hazard is earthquakes
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Whiteville comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2010. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Whiteville’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Whiteville flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Whiteville, from FEMA’s records.
- The Late spring storms1 claim · $4K
Whiteville 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.How exposed is Whiteville?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 63% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and tornadoes.
Rated higher than 301 of the 503 Tennessee towns we cover.
Whiteville is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Whiteville faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Inland flooding
Heat waves
5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Whiteville
Disasters that paid out in Whiteville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Whiteville) and its biggest flood years.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm347 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding13 households applied for aid$62K aid approved
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes39 households applied for aid$36K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes44 households applied for aid$72K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$715 aid approved
Hardeman County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and tornadoes.
Old photos of Whiteville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Whiteville archive →Get ready for what Whiteville actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in February–April
The month each of Hardeman County’s 14 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Whiteville’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Whiteville.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Whiteville.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.