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Downtown Franklin, North Carolina, in Macon County 05Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Franklin · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Franklin than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #76 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2020.

River and rain flooding 76%Earthquakes 9%Tornadoes 6%

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

less than 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#76 of 290 in North Carolina
Hazard risk
B+#76 of 290
in North Carolina · lower than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2020 · $68K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 13 declared for Macon County

What stands out about Franklin’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 1.1% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Franklin 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

76%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Hail Strong wind Ice storms Landslides top 1% Lightning top 0% Wildfire Cold waves top 3% Winter storms
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 38% of Franklin’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.3%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Franklin’s grade

River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklin, and Franklin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 9% (higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Franklin sits
Franklin
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #76 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Franklin’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding76%Earthquakes9%Tornadoes6%Everything else9%

The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Franklin has less expected damage per building than 74% of North Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Franklin: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Tropical Storm Helene in 2024, FEMA took 867 aid registrations from Franklin addresses (the town has 2,527 homes).
A small-area figure. Franklin covers 6 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Franklin flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2020

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franklin, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20202023
20202026
2
paid claims since 2020
$68K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Macon County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Franklin

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene867 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Ivan355 households applied for aid$797K aid approved$35K to the Town of Franklin for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FranklinMacon County only

Macon County has had 13 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 Franklin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Franklin archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Franklin 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Franklin

Is Franklin at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #76 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and earthquakes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Franklin flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Franklin since 2020, $68K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Franklin 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 Macon County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Franklin?

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

By FEMA money that reached Franklin, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 867 households applied for aid, $1.0M approved.

Is Franklin at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Franklin’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklin.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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