Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Early County, GA

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
13099
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 2027-07-19. Plan: Early County (FEMA plan 108241), approved 2022-07-20.

Since the plan was approved on 2022-07-20: 1 new hazard declaration (1 incident) and 59 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): Hurricane ($3,210,231 a year), Inland Flooding ($2,300,929) and Tornado ($1,178,858).

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 2027-07-19
Plan:
Early County (FEMA plan 108241)
Approved:
2022-07-20
Days to expiry:
292
Update underway:
none recorded in FEMA's plan tracker

What changed since your last plan (approved 2022-07-20)

New federal declarations:
1 new hazard declaration (1 incident): EM-3616-GA (Hurricane Helene)
Storm Events records since approval:
59 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 1 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 3
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 expiry
Early County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2027-07-19Early County (FEMA plan 108241)2022-07-202027-07-19292
Blakely cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-19Early County (FEMA plan 108241)2022-07-202027-07-19292
Damascus cityTownApproved, expires 2027-07-19Early County (FEMA plan 108241)2022-07-202027-07-19292
Jakin cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-19Early County (FEMA plan 108241)2022-07-202027-07-19292

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
1HurricaneRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$2,733,584$406,375$70,272$3,210,23111
2Inland FloodingVery LowVery Low$2,249,583$6,772$44,574$2,300,92912
3TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$335,200$2,639$841,020$1,178,85826
4Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$770$371,134$183,974$555,8783Includes 1 Frost/Freeze record (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
5DroughtRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderaten/a$479,642n/a$479,64249
6Strong WindRelatively LowRelatively Low$37,928$7,576$277,109$322,613115Includes 1 High Wind and 1 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
7LightningRelatively LowRelatively Low$12,136n/a$103,773$115,9090No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
8Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$10$591$115,284$115,8844
9EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$57,510n/a$17,336$74,846Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
10HailVery LowVery Low$6,419$46,881$8,301$61,60017
11WildfireVery LowVery Low$26,377$70$2,541$28,9880No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
12Winter WeatherVery LowVery Low$2,190$67$2,150$4,4075
13Ice StormVery LowVery Low$603n/a$825$1,4280No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$19n/a$1$200No 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 lightning, 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 902 (Relatively Low, 48.6); tract 903 (Relatively Low, 45.0); tract 904 (Very Low, 40.9)
Hurricanetract 905 (Relatively High, 95.1); tract 902 (Relatively High, 95.0); tract 904 (Relatively High, 94.8)
Landslidetract 905 (Very Low, 65.4); tract 902 (Very Low, 63.7); tract 903 (Very Low, 47.6)
Tornadotract 904 (Very High, 95.9); tract 902 (Very High, 93.7); tract 903 (Relatively High, 83.3)
Wildfiretract 905 (Relatively Low, 84.0); tract 904 (Relatively Low, 83.8); tract 901 (Relatively Low, 83.0)

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 902 is Census Tract 902). 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 chill2 records, 2025 to 2026 (2 zone-level)1 day; 2 with a recorded value1 consecutive day, 2026-02-01, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage1 record, 2017 (1 zone-level)Frost/Freeze, 2017-03-16, $7,850,000 crop damage (2017 dollars); NWS zone GAZ142Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)49 records, 1997 to 2026 (49 zone-level)16 days to 862 days (median 36 days); 9 with a recorded value862 days (about 28.3 months), 2010-10-19 to 2013-02-26, a run of 29 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (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)24 records, 1984 to 20230.75 in to 2.75 in (median 1.75 in); 24 with a recorded value2.75 in hail, 1998-04-08Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Blakely city (10 records), Jakin city (2 records), Damascus city (1 record).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)4 records, 2023 (4 zone-level)1 day to 3 days (median 2 days); 2 with a recorded value3 consecutive days, 2023-08-12 to 2023-08-14, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson11 records, 1998 to 2024 (11 zone-level)Strongest recorded: Hurricane record (NOAA event type 'Hurricane (Typhoon)'), 2018-10-10, category 3, $150,000,000 property; $500,000,000 crops (2018 dollars) (as recorded; larger than this county's annual agriculture value in the National Risk Index (the county or state extension service keeps crop loss records)); NWS zone GAZ142Countywide (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)0
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)12 records, 1998 to 2025 (2 zone-level)Flood, 1998-03-08, $2,000,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars), 1 direct injury (reported for the zone); NWS zone GAZ142Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Blakely city (3 records), Damascus city (1 record). Zone-level records (2) 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)0Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)2 records, 1998 to 2013 (2 zone-level)45 kt (52 mph); 1 with a recorded value45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust, Strong Wind, 2013-01-30; NWS zone GAZ142Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)136 records, 1974 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 75 kt (86 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 106 with a recorded value75 kt (86 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2024-01-09Thunderstorm Wind, 1994-06-15, $500,000 property; crops not recorded (1994 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Blakely city (51 records), Damascus city (6 records), Jakin city (3 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)39 records, 1954 to 2026F/EF0 to F/EF2 (median F/EF1); 39 with a recorded valueEF2 tornado, 2021-02-15, 1.81 mi within this county, 600 yd wide, $500,000 property; $0 crops (2021 dollars), 5 direct injuriesTornado, 1982-04-05, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1982 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Blakely city (9 records), Damascus city (2 records).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)5 records, 2010 to 2026 (5 zone-level)Winter Storm, 2014-01-28, $50,000 property; $0 crops (2014 dollars); NWS zone GAZ142Countywide (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.

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

Federal declarations for this county: 15 declarations covering 10 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
2024-09-262024-09-24EM-3616-GAEmergencyHurricane HeleneHurricaneno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
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
2018-10-142018-10-09DR-4400-GAMajor disasterHurricane MichaelHurricane$634,067.83
2018-10-102018-10-09EM-3406-GAEmergencyHurricane MichaelHurricaneno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4400
2017-09-152017-09-07DR-4338-GAMajor disasterHurricane IrmaHurricane$55,486.46
2017-09-082017-09-07EM-3387-GAEmergencyHurricane IrmaHurricaneno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4338
2017-01-252017-01-02DR-4294-GAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line WindsStrong Wind; Tornado$36,911.86
2009-04-232009-03-26DR-1833-GAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line WindsInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$288,915.03
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$83,061.01
1998-03-111998-02-14DR-1209-GAMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1994-07-071994-07-03DR-1033-GAMajor disasterTornadoes, Flooding Torrential Rain(Trop Storm Alberto)Tornado (primary); also designated: Hurricane, Inland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1990-02-231990-02-10DR-857-GAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornaodes & FloodingInland Flooding; TornadoPA not declared for this county
1977-07-201977-07-20EM-3044-GAEmergencyDroughtDroughtno 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 Wave3202001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 1 Frost/Freeze record.
Drought4910010101996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail24202001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave4404001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane11212511996 to 2026-06-30
Ice Storm0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Inland Flooding12808401996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Strong Wind13825530201955 to 2026-06-30Includes 1 High Wind and 1 Strong Wind records.
Tornado39426401950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather5202001996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2026-02-01Extreme Cold/Wind Chilldamage not reported0, 0NWS zone GAZ142 (EARLY), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2024-01-09Thunderstorm Wind75 kt (86 mph) estimated gust$5,000 property; $0 crops (2024 dollars)0, 0HILTONnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2023-08-12Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2023 dollars)0, 0NWS zone GAZ142 (EARLY), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2021-02-15TornadoEF2, 1.81 mi within this county, 600 yd wide$500,000 property; $0 crops (2021 dollars)0, 5DAMASCUSdeaths or injuries recorded
2018-10-10Hurricane (NOAA event type 'Hurricane (Typhoon)')category 3$150,000,000 property; $500,000,000 crops (zone total, 2018 dollars) (as recorded; larger than this county's annual agriculture value in the National Risk Index (the county or state extension service keeps crop loss records))0, 0NWS zone GAZ142 (EARLY), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical Depression
2017-03-16Frost/Freeze$0 property; $7,850,000 crops (zone total, 2017 dollars)0, 0NWS zone GAZ142 (EARLY), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Frost/Freeze
2013-01-30Strong Wind45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust$1,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2013 dollars)0, 0NWS zone GAZ142 (EARLY), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2010-10-19Droughtdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone GAZ142 (EARLY), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2008-07-12Thunderstorm Wind55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust$50,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)0, 5JAKINdeaths or injuries recorded
2005-01-13TornadoF1, 2.7 mi within this county, 100 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not reported (2005 dollars)2, 5CROSSROADSdeaths or injuries recorded
1998-04-08Hail2.75 in$50,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)0, 0BLAKELYB1-c worst recorded: Hail
1998-03-08Flood$2,000,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1998 dollars)0, 1NWS zone GAZ142 (EARLY), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (285 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 Wave2.21event-days per yearabout 2.21 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)422005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought44.3event-days per yearabout 44.3 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 12 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (40%)1,4282000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.0012annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.12%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail1.43events per yearabout 1.43 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)54.4 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave5event-days per yearabout 5 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)802005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.211events per yearabout 1 in 5 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)591851 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 Storm0.113event-days per yearabout 0.113 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)81946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywideNo Storm Events ice storm record, 1996 to 2025
Inland Flooding0.25event-days per yearabout 0.25 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 7 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (23.3%)71996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.078events per year (modeled)about 1 in 13 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning72.8days per year with a strikeabout 72.8 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind1.68events per yearabout 1.68 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)641986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.426events per yearabout 1 in 2 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.000622annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0622%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 Weather0.368event-days per yearabout 0.368 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 4 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (13.3%)72005-11-12 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 20258300.267
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20252300.0667
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202597303.23
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20252300.0667
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20257300.233
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202519300.633
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20256300.2
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 Wave5 of 567.680.681.7Relatively High 3, Relatively Moderate 2
Drought5 of 595.096.697.0Relatively Moderate 5
Earthquake5 of 538.340.948.6Relatively Low 2, Very Low 3
Hail5 of 559.066.970.2Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 4
Heat Wave5 of 523.236.364.2Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 4
Hurricane5 of 591.794.895.1Relatively High 5
Ice Storm5 of 50.94.610.0Very Low 5
Inland Flooding5 of 519.950.381.6Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 2
Landslide5 of 528.447.665.4Very Low 5
Lightning5 of 561.476.993.7Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 3
Strong Wind5 of 578.187.895.5Relatively High 4, Relatively Moderate 1
Tornado5 of 570.883.395.9Very High 2, Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 1
Wildfire5 of 579.183.084.0Relatively Low 5
Winter Weather5 of 527.434.242.8Relatively Low 5

Cold Wave: Agriculture is 67% of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

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.

Hail: Agriculture is 76% 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 plan
Early County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2027-07-19FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 2$623,100.330 total; 0 since its plan
Blakely cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-19FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$445,490.6173 total; 17 since its plan
Damascus cityTownApproved, expires 2027-07-19FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded10 total; 1 since its plan
Jakin cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-19FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 1no Public Assistance recorded5 total; 1 since its plan

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

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

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 2022-07-20county-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$2,951,281,952$76,319,90010,781$770$371,134$183,974under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$53,497,978n/an/a$479,642n/a0.897% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$5,286,915,843n/a10,854$57,510n/a$17,3360.00109%
Hail$2,951,281,952$76,319,90010,781$6,419$46,881$8,3010.000217%$0
Heat Wave$2,951,281,952$76,319,90010,781$10$591$115,284under 0.0001%$0
Hurricane$2,951,281,952$76,316,99210,781$2,733,584$406,375$70,2720.0926%$3,000no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)
Ice Storm$2,944,017,396n/a10,770$603n/a$825under 0.0001%
Inland Flooding$2,949,187,040$2,764,853332$2,249,583$6,772$44,574n/a (see note)$0NRI 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$4,516,094n/a10$19n/a$10.000426%
Lightning$2,951,281,952n/a10,781$12,136n/a$103,7730.000411%
Strong Wind$2,951,281,952$76,319,90010,781$37,928$7,576$277,1090.00129%$38,000
Tornado$2,951,281,952$76,319,90010,781$335,200$2,639$841,0200.0114%$681,000
Wildfire$691,930,218$15,332,0543,589$26,377$70$2,5410.00381%
Winter Weather$2,951,281,952$76,319,90010,781$2,190$67$2,150under 0.0001%$0

Totals since 2022-07-20 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 39 county-coded records, 39 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $719,000; 20 zone-level records, 9 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $3,000 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: none recorded on the 1 counted declaration.

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
Population10,781
Building value (total, not at risk)$2,951,281,952
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$76,319,900
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$6,784,075
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)$1,667,159
Social vulnerability ratingVery High
Community resilience ratingRelatively 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)1
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition3Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition1

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 total0131301
of which: Early County (unincorporated area)0121201
of which: Jakin city0010100
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
Early County (unincorporated area)1304990121201
Blakely city1305150000000
Damascus city1305170000000
Jakin city1305160010100

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

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential0131301
2 to 4 unit residential0000000
other residential0000000
non-residential0000000
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

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 3 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). Early County, GA: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 13099). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ga/13099/ 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]