Photo: Ceh2624 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Kernersville faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kernersville gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #110 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2010.
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 Kernersville 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
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 Kernersville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kernersville, and Kernersville’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 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B #110 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kernersville’s residents live in 13 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, Kernersville has less expected damage per building than 62% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.8M a year in losses across Kernersville: $6.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kernersville flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kernersville, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Michael1 claim · $15K
Kernersville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Forsyth County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kernersville
Disasters that paid out in Kernersville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Kernersville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene77 households applied for aid$23K aid approved$53K to the Town of Kernersville for repairs
- 2018Tropical Storm Michael$44K to the Town of Kernersville for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $15K
- 2003Ice Storm$163K to the Town of Kernersville for repairs
Forsyth County has had 21 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 Kernersville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kernersville archive →Kernersville and its neighbors
Kernersville is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkertown | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Greensboro | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 363 |
| Kernersville | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Winston-Salem | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 250 |
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 Kernersville 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.
- 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 Kernersville
Is Kernersville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kernersville has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #110 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kernersville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Kernersville since 2010, $136K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Michael (1).
Is Kernersville 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 Forsyth County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kernersville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kernersville’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 Kernersville?
By FEMA money that reached Kernersville, Ice Storm (2003): $163K to the Town of Kernersville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Michael: 1 paid, $15K.
Is Kernersville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Kernersville’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kernersville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kernersville’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.