Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Pineville
Pineville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pineville has 736 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 2011.
What Pineville 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
Tornadoes
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.
Does Pineville flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pineville, from FEMA’s records.
- The Early winter storms7 claims · $235K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $24K
- The Late spring severe storms1 claim · $17K
Pineville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: McDonald County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pineville
Disasters that paid out in Pineville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pineville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$750 aid approved$14K to the City of Pineville for repairs
- 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding5 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$336K to the City of Pineville for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding15 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$59K to the City of Pineville for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$81K aid approved$20K to the City of Pineville for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the City of Pineville for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$37K aid approved$4K to the City of Pineville for repairs
Show all 7
- 2007Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$21K to the City of Pineville for repairs
McDonald County has had 20 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 Pineville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pineville archive →Pineville and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Pineville 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.
- 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.
- 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 Pineville
Does Pineville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Pineville since 2011, $375K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Early winter storms (7).
Is Pineville 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 McDonald County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pineville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pineville’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 Pineville?
By FEMA money that reached Pineville, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2017): 5 households applied for aid, $11K approved, and $336K to the City of Pineville for repairs. By flood claims, Early winter storms: 7 paid, $235K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pineville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pineville’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.