Photo: Gerry D · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Fairmont faces more hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairmont gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (42%), then river and rain flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2016.
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 Fairmont 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
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
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 Fairmont’s grade
Hurricanes are 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairmont, and Fairmont’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fairmont’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Fairmont: $792K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairmont flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairmont, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence3 claims · $119K
- Hurricane Matthew2 claims · $5K
Fairmont isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Robeson County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairmont
Disasters that paid out in Fairmont itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Fairmont), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence694 households applied for aid$304K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $119K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew1,430 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $5K
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding84 households applied for aid$41K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances594 households applied for aid$600K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel451 households applied for aid$229K aid approved
Robeson County has had 18 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.
Old photos of Fairmont after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fairmont archive →Get ready for what Fairmont 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Fairmont
Is Fairmont at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairmont has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (42%) and river and rain flooding (36%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fairmont flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Fairmont since 2016, $124K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (3).
Is Fairmont 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 Robeson County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fairmont?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairmont’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 Fairmont?
By FEMA money that reached Fairmont, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 1,430 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 3 paid, $119K.
Is Fairmont at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Fairmont’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairmont.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairmont’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.