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Shook-Welch-Smathers HouseShook-Welch-Smathers House · Photo: Warren LeMay from Cincinnati, OH, United States · CC0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Clyde · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Clyde than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clyde gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 204 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 92%Tornadoes 3%Earthquakes 2%

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 85%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 85% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
204
paid since 1979 · $12.9M
Flooded more than once
37
properties · 6 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
5
of 17 declared for Haywood County

What stands out about Clyde’s natural hazards

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

204 paid flood claims since 1979$12.9M in all; 37 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 99% of U.S. towns.Moved out of harm’s way87 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 18 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 2004103 flood claims were paid for 2004 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Clyde 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Hurricanes Hail Wildfire Landslides top 3% Lightning Winter storms Cold waves
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 24% of Clyde’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Clyde’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clyde, and Clyde’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Clyde sits
Clyde
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Clyde’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 flooding92%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $624K a year in losses across Clyde: $357K 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 2,054 aid registrations from Clyde addresses (the town has 557 homes) and flood insurance paid 40 claims for $6.3M.
A small-area figure. Clyde 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 Clyde flood? Yes: 204 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clyde, from FEMA’s records: 366.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 6 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 9 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 4 claims2004: 103 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 37 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 40 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420212024
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan47 claims · $780K
  • Hurricane Helene40 claims · $6.3M
  • Tropical Storm Fred37 claims · $2.7M
204
paid claims since 1979
$12.9M
paid to owners
37
homes flooded more than once
$63K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (6)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Haywood County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
87flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
18homes raised above flood level
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clyde

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene2,054 households applied for aid$8.5M aid approved$2.0M to the Town of Clyde for repairs40 flood claims paid for it, $6.3M
  2. 2021Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred167 households applied for aid$268K aid approved$91K to the Town of Clyde for repairs37 flood claims paid for it, $2.7M
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Clyde for repairs
  4. 2004Hurricane Ivan264 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$113K to the Town of Clyde for repairs47 flood claims paid for it, $780K
  5. 2004Tropical Storm Frances293 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$15K to the Town of Clyde for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClydeHaywood County only

Haywood County has had 17 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Clyde archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Clyde 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 Clyde

Is Clyde at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clyde has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Clyde flood?

Flood insurance has paid 204 claims in Clyde since 1979, $12.9M in all, or 366.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 37 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (47).

Is Clyde 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 Haywood County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clyde?

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

By FEMA money that reached Clyde, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 2,054 households applied for aid, $8.5M approved, and $2.0M to the Town of Clyde for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 47 paid, $780K.

Is Clyde at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Clyde’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clyde.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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