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Michael Braun HouseMichael Braun House · Photo: Thomas T. Waterman, HABS Photographer · Public domain
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Granite Quarry · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Granite Quarry as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Granite Quarry gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #123 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 81%Tornadoes 10%Ice storms 3%

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 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#123 of 290 in North Carolina
Hazard risk
B−#123 of 290
in North Carolina · lower than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2003 · $68K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
1
of 16 declared for Rowan County
By hazard

What Granite Quarry 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

81%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Earthquakes Hurricanes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 24% of Granite Quarry’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Granite Quarry’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Granite Quarry, and Granite Quarry’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Granite Quarry sits
Granite Quarry
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #123 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Granite Quarry’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Tornadoes10%Ice storms3%Everything else6%

The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Granite Quarry has less expected damage per building than 58% of North Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $893K a year in losses across Granite Quarry: $568K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Granite Quarry covers 3 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 Granite Quarry flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Granite Quarry, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 3 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320102020
20032026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Eta2 claims · $4K
7
paid claims since 2003
$68K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rowan County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Granite Quarry

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

  1. 2018Hurricane Florence$587K to the Town of Granite Quarry for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Granite QuarryRowan County only

Rowan 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Granite Quarry after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Granite Quarry archive →
Next door

Granite Quarry and its neighbors

Granite Quarry has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Faith: not gradedSalisbury: hazard risk B−FaithSalisburyGranite Quarry
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Granite QuarryB−less damage than 55%river and rain flooding7
SalisburyB−less damage than 53%river and rain flooding25
Faith—917 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Granite Quarry 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 ↗
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 Granite Quarry

Is Granite Quarry at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Granite Quarry has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #123 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Granite Quarry flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Granite Quarry since 2003, $68K in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Eta (2).

Is Granite Quarry 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 Rowan County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Granite Quarry?

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

By FEMA money that reached Granite Quarry, Hurricane Florence (2018): $587K to the Town of Granite Quarry for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Eta: 2 paid, $4K.

Is Granite Quarry at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Granite Quarry’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Granite Quarry.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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