Natural hazards · McDonald

McDonald, NC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in McDonald comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is McDonald?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in McDonald to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes31%Inland flooding30%Tornadoes16%Strong wind8%Everything else15%

By hazard

What McDonald faces

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

Hurricanes

31% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Inland flooding

30% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 25 years in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 94% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 McDonald flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Robeson County.

Disasters that hit McDonald

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into McDonaldDeclared for Robeson County only

2018

Hurricane Florence

1 household applied for aid

2016

Hurricane Matthew

3 households applied for aid

2004

Tropical Storm Frances

1 household applied for aid $1K aid approved

Robeson County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe 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. McDonald 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 McDonald’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of McDonald. 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.