Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Bryson City

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
Aerial-View-Downtown-Bryson-City-CSPhoto: GreatSmokies · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bryson City · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Bryson City than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bryson City gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1994.

River and rain flooding 81%Earthquakes 5%Landslides 4%

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 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in North Carolina · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
21
paid since 1994 · $879K
Flooded more than once
3
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
3
of 11 declared for Swain County

What stands out about Bryson City’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 4.5% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way2 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 20204 flood claims were paid for 2020 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Bryson 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

81%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Ice storms Hurricanes Strong wind Wildfire Hail Lightning top 3% Cold waves top 3% Winter storms
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 17% of Bryson City’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), 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 Bryson City’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bryson City, and Bryson City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 4%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bryson City sits
Bryson City
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bryson City’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Earthquakes5%Landslides4%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Bryson City: $866K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Tropical Storm Helene in 2024, FEMA took 430 aid registrations from Bryson City addresses (the town has 1,013 homes) and flood insurance paid 3 claims for $299K.
A small-area figure. Bryson City covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bryson City flood? Sometimes: 21 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bryson City, from FEMA’s records: 20.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 3 claims2013: 3 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 4 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 3 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims201220132020
19942026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene3 claims · $299K
  • Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $115K
21
paid claims since 1994
$879K
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$42K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bryson 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: Swain County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bryson City

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene430 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved$141K to the Town of Bryson City for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $299K
  2. 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$88K to the Town of Bryson City for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2004Hurricane Ivan28 households applied for aid$89K aid approved$5K to the Town of Bryson City for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $115K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bryson CitySwain County only

Swain County has had 11 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Swain County, 2025–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bryson City archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bryson 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 ↗
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 Bryson City

Is Bryson City at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bryson City has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Bryson City flood?

Flood insurance has paid 21 claims in Bryson City since 1994, $879K in all, or 20.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (3).

Is Bryson 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 Swain County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bryson City?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bryson City, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 430 households applied for aid, $1.6M approved, and $141K to the Town of Bryson City for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 3 paid, $299K.

Is Bryson City at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Bryson City’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bryson City.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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