Natural hazards · River Road

River Road, NC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in River Road comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1,695 claims here since 1985.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is River Road?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in River Road to be higher than in 96% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes.

Hurricanes70%Inland flooding12%Coastal flooding6%Tornadoes5%Everything else7%

By hazard

What River Road faces

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

Hurricanes

70% 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

12% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Coastal flooding

6% of expected damage

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

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce 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 River Road flood?

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

1,695paid claims since 1985

$28.1Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19852026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Dennis: 334 claims, $6.9M
Hurricane Irene: 260 claims, $5.1M
Hurricane Florence: 243 claims, $6.3M

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Beaufort County.

Disasters that hit River Road

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into River RoadDeclared for Beaufort County only

Beaufort County has had 23 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. River Road covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to River Road’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to River Road. 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 River Road total about $3.9M 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.