Tyrrell County Courthouse · Photo: HarmonyReignPope · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Columbia
Columbia isn’t graded for hazard risk: Columbia has 759 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 173 claims here since 1985.
What Columbia 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
Coastal 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.
Does Columbia flood? Yes: 173 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Columbia, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene73 claims · $1.7M
- Hurricane Matthew50 claims · $1.9M
- Hurricane Isabel5 claims · $26K
Columbia isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tyrrell County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Columbia
Disasters that paid out in Columbia itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Columbia), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$81K to the Town of Columbia for repairs22 flood claims paid that year
- 2016Hurricane Matthew276 households applied for aid$267K aid approved$50K to the Town of Columbia for repairs50 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
- 2011Hurricane Irene550 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$49K to the Town of Columbia for repairs73 flood claims paid for it, $1.7M
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds212 households applied for aid$161K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
- 2003Hurricane Isabel740 households applied for aid$868K aid approved$24K to the Town of Columbia for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $26K
Show all 7
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$3K to the Town of Columbia for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Tyrrell County has had 17 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 Tyrrell County, 2008–2008.
Old photos of Columbia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Columbia archive →Get ready for what Columbia 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Columbia
Does Columbia flood?
Flood insurance has paid 173 claims in Columbia since 1985, $4.3M in all. 44 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (73).
Is Columbia 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 Tyrrell County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Columbia?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Columbia’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 Columbia?
By FEMA money that reached Columbia, Hurricane Irene (2011): 550 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved, and $49K to the Town of Columbia for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 73 paid, $1.7M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Columbia.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Columbia’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.