Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Banks County, GA

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
13011
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA, GEMA/HS or any other state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2029-06-30. Plan: Banks County (FEMA plan 109615), approved 2024-07-01.

Since the plan was approved on 2024-07-01: 3 new hazard declarations (2 incidents) and 11 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($2,665,988 a year), Tornado ($837,412) and Cold Wave ($676,248).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2029-06-30
Plan:
Banks County (FEMA plan 109615)
Approved:
2024-07-01
Days to expiry:
1,004

What changed since your last plan (approved 2024-07-01)

New federal declarations:
3 new hazard declarations (2 incidents): EM-3616-GA (Hurricane Helene), DR-4830-GA (Hurricane Helene), EM-3642-GA (Severe Winter Storm)
Storm Events records since approval:
11 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 0
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryUpdate underwayNotes
Banks County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2029-06-30Banks County (FEMA plan 109615)2024-07-012029-06-301,004
Alto townTownApproved, expires 2029-10-06Habersham County (FEMA plan 109817)2024-10-072029-10-061,102Also approved under plan 109615 (Banks County, expires 2029-06-30). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Baldwin cityCityApproved, expires 2029-10-06Habersham County (FEMA plan 109817)2024-10-072029-10-061,102Also approved under plan 109615 (Banks County, expires 2029-06-30). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Gillsville cityCityApproved, expires 2028-03-07Hall County (FEMA plan 108611)2023-03-082028-03-07524FEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionthis jurisdiction approved 2023-04-19
Homer townTownApproved, expires 2029-06-30Banks County (FEMA plan 109615)2024-07-012029-06-301,004
Lula cityCityApproved, expires 2029-06-30Banks County (FEMA plan 109615)2024-07-012029-06-301,004Also approved under plan 108611 (Hall County, expires 2028-03-07). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Maysville townTownApproved, expires 2031-07-23Jackson County (FEMA plan 110862)2026-07-242031-07-231,757Also approved under plan 109615 (Banks County, expires 2029-06-30). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification GEMA template A: Hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingVery LowVery Low$2,582,884$80,351$2,753$2,665,98815
2TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$371,318$5,782$460,312$837,4126
3Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$1,271$95,417$579,561$676,24814Includes 1 Frost/Freeze record (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
4Strong WindRelatively LowRelatively Low$47,563$14,325$401,843$463,732108Includes 3 High Wind and 12 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
5HurricaneRelatively LowRelatively Low$125,920$120,358$4,055$250,33216
6DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$226,389n/a$226,38941
7EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$180,687n/a$43,622$224,309Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
8LightningRelatively LowRelatively Low$16,086n/a$153,578$169,6632
9HailVery LowRelatively Low$95,125$41,409$15,797$152,33145
10Ice StormRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$117,389n/a$24,514$141,90311
11Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$6$138$116,492$116,63511
12WildfireVery LowVery Low$8,145$200$2,802$11,1470No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13Winter WeatherVery LowVery Low$2,390$416$2,377$5,18341Includes 1 Sleet record (outside NRI's Winter Weather definition).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$827n/a$1,270$2,0970No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location GEMA template B: Hazard profile (events and probability)

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 9701 (Relatively Low, 70.4); tract 9702 (Relatively Low, 65.7); tract 9703 (Relatively Low, 61.6)
Hurricanetract 9704 (Relatively Low, 74.5); tract 9701 (Relatively Low, 73.4); tract 9702 (Relatively Low, 71.2)
Landslidetract 9701 (Relatively Low, 94.7); tract 9703 (Relatively Low, 84.9); tract 9702 (Relatively Low, 84.7)
Tornadotract 9701 (Relatively High, 83.8); tract 9703 (Relatively High, 76.5); tract 9702 (Relatively High, 74.4)
Wildfiretract 9701 (Relatively Low, 80.9); tract 9702 (Relatively Low, 74.9); tract 9704 (Relatively Low, 73.1)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 9701 is Census Tract 9701). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent GEMA template B: Hazard profile (events and probability)

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill13 records, 1996 to 2003 (13 zone-level)1 day to 31 days (median 4 days); 10 with a recorded valueDecember 2000 (1 monthly summary record), zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Cold/Wind Chill records from May to September (a frost night, not a cold wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage1 record, 2007 (1 zone-level)No crop damage reported in 1 record.Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)41 records, 1997 to 2026 (41 zone-level)22 days to 334 days (median 31 days); 18 with a recorded value334 days (11 months), 2016-06-01 to 2017-04-30, a run of 11 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelDrought, 2000-06-01, property not reported; $4,120,000 crops (zone total, 2000 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)52 records, 1977 to 20170.75 in to 1.75 in (median 0.88 in); 52 with a recorded value1.75 in hail, 2017-04-05; same size also recorded on 1977-07-09, 1996-03-16, 1998-05-07, 2000-03-10, 2000-08-24, 2003-03-05, 2005-06-06, 2007-06-12, 2014-05-25Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Homer town (27 records), Alto town (3 records), Lula city (3 records), Gillsville city (2 records), Baldwin city (1 record), Maysville town (1 record).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)11 records, 1999 to 2012 (11 zone-level)3 days to 33 days (median 10 days); 5 with a recorded value1999-07-20 to 1999-08-21 (2 records, 1 of them a monthly summary record), zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Heat records from November to March (unseasonable warmth, not a heat wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson16 records, 2002 to 2024 (16 zone-level)Strongest recorded: Tropical Storm record, 2017-09-11, $150,000 property; crops not reported (2017 dollars); NWS zone GAZ024Countywide (zone-level records).Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)11 records, 1997 to 2026 (11 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2000-01-22, $980,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars); NWS zone GAZ024Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)15 records, 1997 to 2020 (1 zone-level)Flash Flood, 2005-08-08, $175,000 property; crops not reported (2005 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Homer town (4 records), Alto town (1 record), Gillsville city (1 record), Lula city (1 record), Maysville town (1 record). Zone-level records (1) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)2 records, 2008Lightning, 2008-07-08, $50,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Homer town (2 records).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)15 records, 1998 to 2015 (15 zone-level)30 kt (35 mph) to 50 kt (58 mph) (median 34 kt (39 mph)); 10 with a recorded value50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust, High Wind, 2004-09-16; NWS zone GAZ024High Wind, 2002-12-13, $260,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2002 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)112 records, 1975 to 202533 kt (38 mph) to 60 kt (69 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 78 with a recorded value60 kt (69 mph) estimated, Thunderstorm Wind, 2000-07-23Thunderstorm Wind, 2019-04-09, $50,000 property; crops not reported (2019 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Homer town (30 records), Lula city (12 records), Alto town (6 records), Gillsville city (4 records), Maysville town (4 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)10 records, 1952 to 2021F/EF0 to F/EF2 (median F/EF1); 9 with a recorded valueF2 tornado, 1952-02-29, 9.4 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 300 yd wide, $250,000 property; crops not recorded (1952 dollars), 3 direct injuriesTornado, 2006-04-08, $350,000 property; crops not reported (2006 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Homer town (3 records), Baldwin city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)41 records, 1996 to 2026 (41 zone-level)Winter Storm, 2005-01-28, $25,000 property; crops not reported (2005 dollars); NWS zone GAZ024Heavy Snow, 2009-03-01, $25,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2009 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

A monthly summary record covers most or all of a month; it does not count days at wave conditions.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences GEMA template B: Hazard profile (events and probability)

Federal declarations for this county: 17 declarations covering 12 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2026-01-242026-01-22EM-3642-GAEmergencySevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-09-302024-09-24DR-4830-GAMajor disasterHurricane HeleneHurricane$15,324.66new since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-09-262024-09-24EM-3616-GAEmergencyHurricane HeleneHurricaneno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 yearssame incident as DR-4830
2021-01-122020-10-29DR-4579-GAMajor disasterTropical Storm ZetaHurricane$40,548.80
2020-03-292020-01-20DR-4501-GAMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3464-GAEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4501
2017-09-152017-09-07DR-4338-GAMajor disasterHurricane IrmaHurricane$1,057,679.78
2017-09-082017-09-07EM-3387-GAEmergencyHurricane IrmaHurricaneno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4338
2015-04-202015-02-15DR-4215-GAMajor disasterSevere Winter StormIce Storm$51,246.82
2014-02-112014-02-10EM-3368-GAEmergencySevere Winter StormIce Stormno Public Assistance recorded
2005-09-052005-08-27EM-3218-GAEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-09-182004-09-14DR-1554-GAMajor disasterHurricane IvanHurricane$8,452.17
2000-01-282000-01-22DR-1311-GAMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weather$27,903.82
1995-10-101995-10-04DR-1071-GAMajor disasterHurricane OpalHurricaneno Public Assistance recorded
1993-03-151993-03-13EM-3097-GAEmergencySevere Snowfall, Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1977-07-201977-07-20EM-3044-GAEmergencyDroughtDroughtno Public Assistance recorded
1976-06-111976-06-11DR-507-GAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1964-11-041964-11-04DR-180-GAMajor disasterFloodingInland Flooding
1964-09-101964-09-10DR-177-GAMajor disasterHurricane DoraHurricane (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding
1963-03-261963-03-26DR-150-GAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Flooding
1961-03-021961-03-02DR-110-GAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1954-03-171954-03-17DR-16-GAMajor disasterTornadoTornado
1953-05-021953-05-02DR-1-GAMajor disasterTornadoTornado

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave14000001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 1 Frost/Freeze record.
Drought41336101996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail52000001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave11000001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane16101511996 to 2026-06-30
Ice Storm11101201996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding15000101996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning2000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind12742327001955 to 2026-06-30Includes 3 High Wind and 12 Strong Wind records.
Tornado10000001950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather41202311996 to 2026-06-30Includes 1 Sleet record.

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationWhy listed
2017-09-11Tropical Storm$150,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2017 dollars)0, 0NWS zone GAZ024 (BANKS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical Depression
2017-04-05Hail1.75 in$241,000 property; crops not reported (2017 dollars)0, 0FIVE PTSB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2016-06-01Drought$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2016 dollars)0, 0NWS zone GAZ024 (BANKS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2008-07-08Lightning$50,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)0, 0HOMERB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2008-07-08Thunderstorm Wind52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust$30,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)1, 0GILLSVILLE to HOMERdeaths or injuries recorded
2005-08-08Flash Flood$175,000 property; crops not reported (2005 dollars)0, 0MAYSVILLEB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2004-09-16High Wind50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust$250,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2004 dollars)0, 0NWS zone GAZ024 (BANKS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2000-12-01Extreme Cold/Wind Chilldamage not reported0, 0NWS zone GAZ024 (BANKS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2000-07-23Thunderstorm Wind60 kt (69 mph) estimated$3,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars)0, 0HOMERB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2000-01-22Ice Storm$980,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2000 dollars)0, 0NWS zone GAZ024 (BANKS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Ice Storm
1976-05-14TornadoF2, 6.5 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 160 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1976 dollars)0, 2location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1952-02-29TornadoF2, 9.4 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 300 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1952 dollars)0, 3location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (340 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events GEMA template B: Hazard profile (events and probability)

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave0.474event-days per yearabout 0.474 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 6 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (20%)92005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought40.9event-days per yearabout 40.9 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 14 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (46.7%)1,1552000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.00215annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.215%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail4.59events per yearabout 4.59 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)174.5 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave2.32event-days per yearabout 2.32 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)392005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.0337events per yearabout 1 in 30 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)71851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm1.54event-days per yearabout 1.54 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 9 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (30%)1041946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.5event-days per yearabout 0.5 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 11 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (36.7%)141996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.517events per year (modeled)about 0.52 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning57.8days per year with a strikeabout 57.8 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind2.26events per yearabout 2.26 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)871986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.129events per yearabout 1 in 8 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.000561annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0561%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather3.53event-days per yearabout 3.53 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 22 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (73.3%)672005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202521300.7
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202561302.03
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202532301.07
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20256300.2
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20250300
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions GEMA template F: Multi-jurisdictional differences

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave4 of 477.379.185.5Relatively High 3, Relatively Moderate 1
Drought3 of 489.595.097.1Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 1, No Rating 1
Earthquake4 of 458.663.670.4Relatively Low 4
Hail4 of 476.978.983.7Relatively Moderate 4
Heat Wave4 of 436.740.051.9Relatively Low 4
Hurricane4 of 471.172.374.5Relatively Low 4
Ice Storm4 of 487.090.894.3Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 2
Inland Flooding4 of 449.655.174.9Relatively Moderate 4
Landslide4 of 473.184.894.7Relatively Low 3, Very Low 1
Lightning4 of 484.988.194.8Relatively High 4
Strong Wind4 of 491.192.495.8Relatively High 4
Tornado4 of 472.675.583.8Relatively High 3, Relatively Moderate 1
Wildfire4 of 470.974.080.9Relatively Low 4
Winter Weather4 of 433.535.943.0Relatively Low 4

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Banks County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2029-06-30FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$1,183,911.420 total; 0 since its plan
Alto townTownApproved, expires 2029-10-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded10 total; 0 since its planAlso approved under plan 109615 (Banks County, expires 2029-06-30). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Baldwin cityCityApproved, expires 2029-10-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded2 total; 0 since its planAlso approved under plan 109615 (Banks County, expires 2029-06-30). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Gillsville cityCityApproved, expires 2028-03-07FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded7 total; 1 since its plan
Homer townTownApproved, expires 2029-06-30FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$17,244.6366 total; 2 since its plan
Lula cityCityApproved, expires 2029-06-30FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded16 total; 0 since its planAlso approved under plan 108611 (Hall County, expires 2028-03-07). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Maysville townTownApproved, expires 2031-07-23FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded6 total; Storm Events data end 2026-06-30, before this plan's approvalAlso approved under plan 109615 (Banks County, expires 2029-06-30). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts GEMA template C/D: Community exposure; Estimate of potential losses

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2024-07-01county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$3,830,670,950$218,299,78918,018$1,271$95,417$579,561under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$4,371,787n/an/a$226,389n/a5.18% (agriculture)$0NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$6,585,478,850n/a18,035$180,687n/a$43,6220.00274%
Hail$3,830,670,950$218,299,78918,018$95,125$41,409$15,7970.00248%
Heat Wave$3,830,670,950$218,299,78918,018$6$138$116,492under 0.0001%
Hurricane$3,830,670,950$218,299,78918,018$125,920$120,358$4,0550.00329%$3,000$15,324.66
Ice Storm$3,830,670,950n/a18,018$117,389n/a$24,5140.00306%
Inland Flooding$3,826,419,588$15,892,839158$2,582,884$80,351$2,753n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$316,635,456n/a1,601$827n/a$1,2700.000261%
Lightning$3,830,670,950n/a18,018$16,086n/a$153,5780.00042%
Strong Wind$3,830,670,950$218,299,78918,018$47,563$14,325$401,8430.00124%$12,000
Tornado$3,830,670,950$218,299,78918,018$371,318$5,782$460,3120.00969%
Wildfire$262,243,457$47,642,2623,482$8,145$200$2,8020.00311%
Winter Weather$3,830,670,950$218,299,78918,018$2,390$416$2,377under 0.0001%$0no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)

Totals since 2024-07-01 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 4 county-coded records, 4 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $12,000; 7 zone-level records, 5 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $3,000 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: $15,324.66 on 3 counted declarations, 1 of them with Public Assistance.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context) GEMA template I: Social vulnerability

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population18,018
Building value (total, not at risk)$3,830,670,950
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$218,299,789
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$4,134,394
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$1,808,976
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Low
Community resilience ratingVery Low
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file2252616

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Banks County (unincorporated area)1305600000000
Alto town1300830000000
Baldwin city1302050000000
Gillsville city1305610000000
Homer town1302710000000
Lula city1305620000000
Maysville town1305980000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

GEMA local plan template

Section headings show the GEMA local hazard mitigation plan template letter (A to I) next to the FEMA checklist item (template: https://gema.georgia.gov/document/publication/local-hazard-mitigation-plan-update-template/download). No letter is documented for repetitive loss; place B2-c where your GEMA template puts it.

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Banks County, GA: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 13011). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ga/13011/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]