Natural hazards · James

James, NC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in James comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1996.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is James?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in James to be higher than in 97% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes.

Hurricanes83%Inland flooding7%Everything else11%

By hazard

What James faces

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

Hurricanes

83% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Inland flooding

7% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 8% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 James flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in James, from FEMA’s records.

32paid claims since 1996

$1.2Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Florence: 19 claims, $1.1M
Hurricane Floyd: 3 claims, $18K
Hurricane Irene: 2 claims, $20K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Craven County.

Disasters that hit James

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Craven County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching James itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into JamesDeclared for Craven County only

Craven County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around James

James and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Brices Creekmostly hurricanesVery high

New Bernmostly hurricanesVery high

James Citymostly hurricanesVery high

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. James covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to James’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to James. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across James total about $4.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.