Downtown Dillsboro, North Carolina, in Jackson County 02

Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Dillsboro · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Dillsboro

Dillsboro isn’t graded for hazard risk: Dillsboro has 195 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2004.

Flood claims

paid since 2004 · $307K

Disasters paid out here

of 15 declared for Jackson County

By hazard

What Dillsboro 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

86%of expected building damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts

Smaller shares here

Tornadoes Hurricanes Strong wind Lightning top 0% Hail Ice storms Cold waves top 3% Wildfire Winter storms Landslides

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 33% of Dillsboro’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), 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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Dillsboro flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2004

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

Paid flood claims, by year

2004

20042026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Ivan4 claims · $307K

paid claims since 2004

$307K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$77K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Jackson County.

Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dillsboro

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

2024Tropical Storm Helene4 households applied for aid$22K to the Town of Dillsboro for repairs
2004Hurricane Ivan4 households applied for aid$15K aid approved$3K to the Town of Dillsboro for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $307K

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in DillsboroJackson County only

Jackson County has had 15 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 Dillsboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Dillsboro archive →

Next door

Dillsboro and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

SylvaDillsboro

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Sylva	Cmore damage than 74%	river and rain flooding	4

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Dillsboro 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.

Questions about natural hazards in Dillsboro

Does Dillsboro flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Dillsboro since 2004, $307K in all. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (4).

Is Dillsboro 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 Jackson County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dillsboro?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dillsboro, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 4 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $22K to the Town of Dillsboro for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 4 paid, $307K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dillsboro.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

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

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