Mayworth School · Photo: RoxylovesHistory · CC BY-SA 3.0Cramerton’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cramerton gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #123 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2013.
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 Cramerton 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
Tornadoes
Ice storms
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 Cramerton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cramerton, and Cramerton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #123 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cramerton’s residents live in 5 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, Cramerton has less expected damage per building than 58% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Cramerton: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cramerton flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cramerton, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cramerton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Gaston County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cramerton
Disasters that paid out in Cramerton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cramerton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene62 households applied for aid$46K aid approved$55K to the Town of Cramerton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$101K to the Town of Cramerton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$38K to the Town of Cramerton for repairs
Gaston County has had 16 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 Cramerton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cramerton archive →Cramerton and its neighbors
Cramerton is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Gastonia | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Cramerton | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| McAdenville | — | not graded yet | |
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 Cramerton 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.
- 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 Cramerton
Is Cramerton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cramerton has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #123 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cramerton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Cramerton since 2013, $107K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Cramerton 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 Gaston County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cramerton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cramerton’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 Cramerton?
By FEMA money that reached Cramerton, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2020): $101K to the Town of Cramerton for repairs.
Is Cramerton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Cramerton’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cramerton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cramerton’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.