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ClarktonPhoto: User:Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Clarkton · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Clarkton

Clarkton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Clarkton has 740 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2018.

Flood claims
3
paid since 2018 · $215K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 20 declared for Bladen County
By hazard

What Clarkton faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

66%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

23%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind top 4% Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Hail Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Clarkton flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clarkton, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 3 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Florence3 claims · $215K
3
paid claims since 2018
$215K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$72K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Clarkton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Bladen County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clarkton

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

  1. 2018Hurricane Florence632 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$242K to the Town of Clarkton for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $215K
  2. 2016Hurricane Matthew569 households applied for aid$366K aid approved$200K to the Town of Clarkton for repairs
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene35 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding50 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  5. 2004Tropical Storm Frances445 households applied for aid$598K aid approved
  6. 2003Hurricane Isabel560 households applied for aid$693K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$77K to the Town of Clarkton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClarktonBladen County only

Bladen County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe 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 Bladen County, 2011–2011.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Clarkton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Clarkton faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 Clarkton

Does Clarkton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Clarkton since 2018, $215K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (3).

Is Clarkton 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 Bladen County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clarkton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Clarkton, Hurricane Florence (2018): 632 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved, and $242K to the Town of Clarkton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 3 paid, $215K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clarkton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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