Natural hazards · Gamewell

Gamewell, NC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Gamewell comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Gamewell?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Gamewell to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding64%Tornadoes9%Strong wind6%Earthquakes5%Cold waves5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Gamewell faces

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

Inland flooding

64% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Cold waves

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 44% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Gamewell flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Gamewell.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Caldwell County.

Disasters that hit Gamewell

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into GamewellDeclared for Caldwell County only

2024

Tropical Storm Helene

6 households applied for aid $1K aid approved $7K to the Town of Gamewell for repairs

Caldwell County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Gamewell

Gamewell and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Gamewellmostly inland floodingHigh

Lenoirmostly inland floodingLow

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. Gamewell 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 Gamewell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Gamewell. 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.