FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Belville than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belville gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #243 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (77%), then river and rain flooding (18%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2018.
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 Belville faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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 Belville’s grade
Hurricanes are 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belville, and Belville’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 1%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #243 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Belville’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Belville has more expected damage per building than 84% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Belville: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Belville flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belville, from FEMA’s records: 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence3 claims · $27K
Belville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Brunswick County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belville
Disasters that paid out in Belville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Belville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$140K to the Town of Belville for repairs
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$4K to the Town of Belville for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence51 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$593K to the Town of Belville for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $27K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew$17K to the Town of Belville for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$1K to the Town of Belville for repairs
- 2008Tropical Storm Hanna$5K to the Town of Belville for repairs
Show all 9
- 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$495 aid approved
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$26K to the Town of Belville for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$938 to the Town of Belville for repairs
Brunswick County has had 25 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brunswick County, 2025–2025.
Old photos of Belville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belville archive →Belville and its neighbors
Belville has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belville | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 3 |
| Leland | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 58 |
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 Belville faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Belville
Is Belville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belville has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #243 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (77%) and river and rain flooding (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Belville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Belville since 2018, $27K in all, or 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (3).
Is Belville 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 Brunswick County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 21.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Belville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belville’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 Belville?
By FEMA money that reached Belville, Hurricane Florence (2018): 51 households applied for aid, $12K approved, and $593K to the Town of Belville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 3 paid, $27K.
Is Belville at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Belville’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belville’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.