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Flood history · Birmingham, AL 35243

Flood insurance claims in Birmingham, AL 35243

103 claims since 1979 and $2.0 million paid. Here's what the public record shows, and how to check a specific address.

103flood insurance claims since 1979
$2.0 millionpaid to policyholders
$22,489average paid claim
31claims in the last 10 years
42%of claims outside high-risk zones
#51of 470 Alabama ZIP codes by claims

Claims by year

Every NFIP flood insurance claim reported in ZIP 35243 since 1978.

1979: 11 claims1980: 1 claims1983: 1 claims1990: 1 claims1993: 1 claims1995: 1 claims1997: 2 claims1998: 1 claims1999: 2 claims2000: 2 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 3 claims2003: 11 claims2004: 3 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 7 claims2007: 1 claims2008: 1 claims2009: 2 claims2012: 2 claims2013: 4 claims2014: 9 claims2015: 2 claims2017: 1 claims2019: 1 claims2020: 3 claims2021: 18 claims2022: 7 claims2026: 1 claims19801990200020102020

What the record says

About 42% of claims here were on properties rated outside high-risk zones (zones X, B or C). A lower-risk zone on the map is not a guarantee.

Losses are spread across many events; the largest, Hurricane Frederic, accounts for 6% of claims.

Flooding here is recent: 31 claims (30%) were in the last 10 years.

The most commonly recorded cause is heavy rain or snowmelt collecting faster than it drains, which can happen far from any river or coast.

Biggest flood events

EventYearClaimsShare
Hurricane Frederic197966%
Unnamed flooding198333%
Hurricane Ivan200422%

Flood zone at time of claim

High-risk zones (A, V)54% · 56
Moderate or minimal risk (X, B, C)40% · 41
Zone not recorded6% · 6

NFIP communities

Vestavia Hills, City OfParticipates in the NFIP
Jefferson County *Participates in the NFIP
Mountain Brook, City OfParticipates in the NFIP

Federal disaster declarations in Jefferson County

Flood, hurricane and storm declarations since 2000.

Hurricane HeleneHurricane · Emergency · 2024-09-26
Severe Storms And FloodingSevere Storm · Major disaster · 2021-12-21
Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And TornadoesSevere Storm · Major disaster · 2021-04-26
Hurricane SallyHurricane · Emergency · 2020-09-14
Hurricane NateHurricane · Emergency · 2017-10-08
Hurricane IrmaHurricane · Emergency · 2017-09-11

23 flood, storm or hurricane declarations for Jefferson County since 2000.

Check a specific address in Birmingham.

ZIP-level history is the backdrop. See the official FEMA flood zone, ground elevation and next steps for one property, free.

Sources: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) and Disaster Declarations Summaries, FEMA NFIP Community Status Book; place names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data as of 2026-10-09. Payments are net building + contents payments in dollars at the time paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims are grouped by the ZIP code reported on the claim. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA. Information only; not an official flood zone determination or insurance advice.

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