Appling County, GA: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Appling County scores at the 24th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Very Low" — among the lowest flood hazard in the country. The hazard here is driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 2 years. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
14.2% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Appling County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 72 policies against 508 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 1.1% of all residential structures in Appling County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Appling County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Appling County ranks 2429 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1893 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Appling County, Georgia is home to about 18,669 people across 508.263 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Appling County
98 of Appling County's 8,711 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Appling County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.