Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Waynesville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Sylvester Mumford HouseSylvester Mumford House · Photo: James R. Lockhart · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Waynesville · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Waynesville

Waynesville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Waynesville has 906 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 13 declared for Brantley County
By hazard

What Waynesville faces

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

Hurricanes

52%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

40%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Coastal flooding Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Waynesville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Waynesville. 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

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

Insurance rates: Brantley County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waynesville

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene276 households applied for aid$338K aid approved
  2. 2017Hurricane Irma6 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
  3. 2016Hurricane Matthew3 households applied for aid$797 aid approved
  4. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds16 households applied for aid$71K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WaynesvilleBrantley County only

Brantley County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brantley County, 2007–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Waynesville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Waynesville faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Waynesville

Is Waynesville 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 Brantley County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Waynesville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Waynesville’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 Waynesville?

By FEMA money that reached Waynesville, Hurricane Helene (2024): 276 households applied for aid, $338K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waynesville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Waynesville’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.