Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Carthage than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carthage gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #28 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then hurricanes (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Carthage 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
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Carthage’s grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carthage, and Carthage’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #28 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Carthage’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, Carthage has less expected damage per building than 91% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $854K a year in losses across Carthage: $621K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carthage flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Carthage. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Carthage isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Moore County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carthage
Disasters that paid out in Carthage itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Carthage), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Tropical Depression Chantal$473K to the Town of Carthage for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence134 households applied for aid$63K aid approved$48K to the Town of Carthage for repairs
- 2016Hurricane Matthew30 households applied for aid$76K aid approved$36K to the Town of Carthage for repairs
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$6K to the Town of Carthage for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Storm$41K to the Town of Carthage for repairs
Moore County has had 18 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.
Old photos of Carthage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carthage archive →Carthage and its neighbors
Carthage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Southern Pines | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 Carthage 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.
- 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.
- 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 Carthage
Is Carthage at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carthage has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #28 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and hurricanes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Carthage 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 Moore County, 51% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Carthage?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carthage’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 Carthage?
By FEMA money that reached Carthage, Tropical Depression Chantal (2025): $473K to the Town of Carthage for repairs.
Is Carthage at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Carthage’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carthage.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carthage’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.