Natural hazards · Whitwell

Whitwell, TN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Whitwell comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2020. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Whitwell?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Whitwell to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding43%Tornadoes23%Cold waves19%Strong wind8%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Whitwell faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 16 years in the area

Cold waves

19% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat 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 Whitwell flood?

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

1paid claims since 2020

$14Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20202026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Marion County.

Disasters that hit Whitwell

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WhitwellDeclared for Marion County only

2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

27 households applied for aid $44K aid approved

2003

Severe Storms and Flooding

$39K to the City of Whitwell for repairs

Marion County has had 21 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. Whitwell 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 Whitwell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Whitwell. 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.