Photo: 336photog · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Jamestown than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jamestown gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #222 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Jamestown 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 Jamestown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jamestown, and Jamestown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #222 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Jamestown’s residents live in 7 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, Jamestown has more expected damage per building than 76% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Jamestown: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Jamestown flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Jamestown. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Jamestown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Guilford County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jamestown
Disasters that paid out in Jamestown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Jamestown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Winter Storm$133K to the Town of Jamestown for repairs
- 2003Ice Storm$26K to the Town of Jamestown for repairs
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$43K to the Town of Jamestown for repairs
Guilford County has had 24 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 Jamestown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jamestown archive →Jamestown and its neighbors
Jamestown is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 363 |
| High Point | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 72 |
| Jamestown | C−more damage than 77% | 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 Jamestown 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 Jamestown
Is Jamestown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jamestown has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #222 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Jamestown 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 Guilford County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Jamestown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jamestown’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 Jamestown?
By FEMA money that reached Jamestown, Severe Winter Storm (2014): $133K to the Town of Jamestown for repairs.
Is Jamestown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Jamestown’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jamestown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Jamestown’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.