Bracebridge Hall (Boundary Increase) · Photo: Marie Sharpe Ham, Debra A. Blake, C. Edward Morris · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Falkland
Falkland isn’t graded for hazard risk: Falkland has 120 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2016.
What Falkland 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
Hurricanes
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.
Does Falkland flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Falkland, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Matthew1 claim · $21K
Falkland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pitt County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Falkland
Disasters that paid out in Falkland itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Falkland), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Hurricane Irene2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Pitt County has had 22 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 Falkland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Falkland archive →Get ready for what Falkland 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.
- 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.
- 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 Falkland
Does Falkland flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Falkland since 2016, $21K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (1).
Is Falkland 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 Pitt County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Falkland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Falkland’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 Falkland?
By FEMA money that reached Falkland, Hurricane Irene (2011): 2 households applied for aid, $2K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 1 paid, $21K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Falkland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Falkland’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.