Natural hazards · Kelford

Kelford, NC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Kelford comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Kelford?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Kelford to be higher than in 77% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes52%Inland flooding22%Drought11%Tornadoes7%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Kelford faces

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

Hurricanes

52% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Inland flooding

22% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Drought

11% of expected damage

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Kelford flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Bertie County.

Disasters that hit Kelford

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into KelfordDeclared for Bertie County only

2016

Hurricane Matthew

43 households applied for aid $42K aid approved

2011

Hurricane Irene

50 households applied for aid $55K aid approved

2011

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid

2010

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-Line Winds

16 households applied for aid $2K aid approved

2003

Hurricane Isabel

122 households applied for aid $81K aid approved

Bertie County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

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