Photo: Westla · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Gamewell faces more hazard damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gamewell gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #201 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Gamewell 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
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 Gamewell’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gamewell, and Gamewell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C #201 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gamewell’s residents live in 4 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, Gamewell has more expected damage per building than 69% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Gamewell: $887K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gamewell flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Gamewell. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Gamewell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Caldwell County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Gamewell
Disasters that paid out in Gamewell itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Gamewell), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene6 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$7K to the Town of Gamewell for repairs
Caldwell County has had 19 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 Gamewell after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gamewell archive →Gamewell and its neighbors
Gamewell is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Gamewell | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Gamewell 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.
- 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 Gamewell
Is Gamewell at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gamewell has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #201 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Gamewell 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 Caldwell County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gamewell?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gamewell’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 Gamewell?
By FEMA money that reached Gamewell, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 6 households applied for aid, $1K approved, and $7K to the Town of Gamewell for repairs.
Is Gamewell at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Gamewell’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gamewell.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gamewell’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.