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Davis-Proctor HouseDavis-Proctor House · Photo: Jud McCranie · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Twin City · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Twin City as in the typical U.S. town, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Twin City gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then hurricanes (36%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
By hazard

What Twin City faces

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

River and rain flooding

46%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Hurricanes

36%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Lightning top 1% Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 10% of Twin City’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Twin City’s grade

River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Twin City, and Twin City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 36% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Twin City sits
Twin City
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Twin City’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding46%Hurricanes36%Earthquakes8%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $687K a year in losses across Twin City: $428K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Helene in 2024, FEMA took 1,321 aid registrations from Twin City addresses (the town has 829 homes).
Shared tract.All of Twin City’s 1,642 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Garfield city (257 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Twin City flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Twin City. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Twin City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Emanuel County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Twin City

Disasters that paid out in Twin City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Twin City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene1,321 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved$41K to the City of Twin City for repairs
  2. 2024Tropical Storm Debby1 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
  3. 2023Hurricane Idalia$31K to the City of Twin City for repairs
  4. 2018Hurricane Michael$12K to the City of Twin City for repairs
  5. 2017Hurricane Irma$4K to the City of Twin City for repairs
  6. 2014Severe Winter Storm$15K to the City of Twin City for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2008Severe Storms and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Twin CityEmanuel County only

Emanuel County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Twin City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Twin City archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Twin City faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Twin City

Is Twin City at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Twin City has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and hurricanes (36%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Twin City in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Emanuel County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Twin City?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Twin City’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Twin City?

By FEMA money that reached Twin City, Hurricane Helene (2024): 1,321 households applied for aid, $2.0M approved, and $41K to the City of Twin City for repairs.

Is Twin City at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Twin City’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Twin City.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Twin City’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.