Photo: GastoniaHappening Jim Bob Willy · CC BY-SA 4.0Gastonia’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gastonia gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #111 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Gastonia’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Gastonia 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Ice storms
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 Gastonia’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gastonia, and Gastonia’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #111 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gastonia’s residents live in 39 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, Gastonia has less expected damage per building than 62% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.1M a year in losses across Gastonia: $16.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gastonia flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gastonia, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Hugo1 claim · $1K
- Hurricane Florence1 claim · $679
- Hurricane Helene1 claim · $10K
Gastonia is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Gaston County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gastonia
Disasters that paid out in Gastonia itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Gastonia), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene6,071 households applied for aid$4.7M aid approved$2.3M to the City of Gastonia for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $10K
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$1.1M to the City of Gastonia for repairs
Gaston County has had 16 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 Gastonia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gastonia archive →Gastonia and its neighbors
Gastonia is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranlo | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bessemer City | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Kings Mountain | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lowell | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Gastonia | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Cramerton | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Springdale | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Dallas | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Gastonia 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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.
- Gastonia residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Gastonia
Is Gastonia at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gastonia has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #111 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gastonia flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Gastonia since 1979, $145K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Hugo (1).
Is Gastonia 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 Gaston County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gastonia?
Gastonia is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Gastonia?
By FEMA money that reached Gastonia, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 6,071 households applied for aid, $4.7M approved, and $2.3M to the City of Gastonia for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Hugo: 1 paid, $1K.
Is Gastonia at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Gastonia’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gastonia.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gastonia’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.