Photo: Cat person · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Lake Waccamaw faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Waccamaw gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (65%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 113 claims here since 1983.
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 Lake Waccamaw’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lake Waccamaw faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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 Lake Waccamaw’s grade
Hurricanes are 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Waccamaw, and Lake Waccamaw’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lake Waccamaw’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Lake Waccamaw: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake Waccamaw flood? Yes: 113 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Waccamaw, from FEMA’s records: 118.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence73 claims · $3.0M
- Hurricane Floyd22 claims · $377K
- Hurricane Matthew7 claims · $130K
Lake Waccamaw isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Columbus County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lake Waccamaw
Disasters that paid out in Lake Waccamaw itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Lake Waccamaw), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence254 households applied for aid$360K aid approved$239K to the Town of Lake Waccamaw for repairs73 flood claims paid for it, $3.0M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew93 households applied for aid$23K aid approved$122K to the Town of Lake Waccamaw for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $130K
- 2011Hurricane Irene3 households applied for aid$12K to the Town of Lake Waccamaw for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$1K to the Town of Lake Waccamaw for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances31 households applied for aid$53K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel43 households applied for aid$36K aid approved
Show all 7
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$136K to the Town of Lake Waccamaw for repairs22 flood claims paid for it, $377K
Columbus 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 Lake Waccamaw after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake Waccamaw archive →Get ready for what Lake Waccamaw faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Lake Waccamaw
Is Lake Waccamaw at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Waccamaw has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (65%) and river and rain flooding (24%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lake Waccamaw flood?
Flood insurance has paid 113 claims in Lake Waccamaw since 1983, $3.6M in all, or 118.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (73).
Is Lake Waccamaw 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 Columbus County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lake Waccamaw?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Waccamaw’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 Lake Waccamaw?
By FEMA money that reached Lake Waccamaw, Hurricane Florence (2018): 254 households applied for aid, $360K approved, and $239K to the Town of Lake Waccamaw for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 73 paid, $3.0M.
Is Lake Waccamaw at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Lake Waccamaw’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Waccamaw.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Waccamaw’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.