Natural hazards · St. Stephen

St. Stephen, SC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in St. Stephen comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is St. Stephen?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in St. Stephen to be higher than in 94% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and earthquakes.

Hurricanes55%Earthquakes26%Inland flooding11%Everything else8%

By hazard

What St. Stephen faces

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

Hurricanes

55% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Earthquakes

26% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

11% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 25% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 St. Stephen flood?

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

1paid claims since 2015

$25Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20152026

Biggest named events

October severe storms: 1 claim, $25K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Berkeley County.

Disasters that hit St. Stephen

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into St. StephenDeclared for Berkeley County only

2024

Hurricane Helene

3 households applied for aid

2020

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds

8 households applied for aid $40K aid approved

2016

Hurricane Matthew

268 households applied for aid $111K aid approved

2015

Severe Storms and Flooding

645 households applied for aid $478K aid approved

2004

Tropical Storm Frances

188 households applied for aid $134K aid approved

2004

Tropical Storm Gaston

$3K to the Town of St. Stephen for repairs

1999

Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations

$7K to the Town of St. Stephen for repairs

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