Cataldo Mission · Photo: Vatsun at en.wikipedia · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Pinehurst faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinehurst gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1982.
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
What Pinehurst 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
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.
What’s behind Pinehurst’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pinehurst, and Pinehurst’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 1%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pinehurst’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Pinehurst: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pinehurst flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pinehurst, from FEMA’s records: 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pinehurst isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Shoshone County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pinehurst
Disasters that paid out in Pinehurst itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pinehurst), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Straight-line Winds$26K to the City of Pinehurst for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$64K to the City of Pinehurst for repairs
Shoshone County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Pinehurst after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pinehurst archive →Get ready for what Pinehurst faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Pinehurst
Is Pinehurst at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinehurst has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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.
Does Pinehurst flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Pinehurst since 1982, $148K in all, or 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Pinehurst 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 Shoshone County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pinehurst?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pinehurst’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 Pinehurst?
By FEMA money that reached Pinehurst, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2017): $64K to the City of Pinehurst for repairs.
Is Pinehurst at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Pinehurst’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pinehurst.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pinehurst’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.