Alfred Rowland House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0On FEMA’s figures, Lumberton faces more hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lumberton gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #224 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then hurricanes (37%). Flood insurance has paid 756 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 Lumberton’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lumberton 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
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Lumberton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lumberton, and Lumberton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 37%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #224 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lumberton’s residents live in 12 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, Lumberton has more expected damage per building than 77% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.7M a year in losses across Lumberton: $9.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lumberton flood? Yes: 756 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lumberton, from FEMA’s records: 90.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence404 claims · $22.2M
- Hurricane Matthew235 claims · $16.2M
- Hurricane Floyd34 claims · $176K
Lumberton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Robeson County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lumberton
Disasters that paid out in Lumberton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lumberton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Hurricane Ian$18K to the City of Lumberton for repairs
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$44K to the City of Lumberton for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence5,643 households applied for aid$5.1M aid approved$3.3M to the City of Lumberton for repairs404 flood claims paid for it, $22.2M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew8,924 households applied for aid$18.2M aid approved$4.6M to the City of Lumberton for repairs235 flood claims paid for it, $16.2M
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding363 households applied for aid$86K aid approved$19K to the City of Lumberton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Ivan1 households applied for aid$504 aid approved
Show all 9
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances984 households applied for aid$780K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel735 households applied for aid$305K aid approved
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$1.2M to the City of Lumberton for repairs34 flood claims paid for it, $176K
Robeson County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Lumberton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lumberton archive →Lumberton and its neighbors
Lumberton has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumberton | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 756 |
| Barker Ten Mile | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Lumberton 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Lumberton
Is Lumberton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lumberton has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #224 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and hurricanes (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lumberton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 756 claims in Lumberton since 1979, $40.3M in all, or 90.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 189 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (404).
Is Lumberton 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 Robeson County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lumberton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lumberton’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 Lumberton?
By FEMA money that reached Lumberton, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 8,924 households applied for aid, $18.2M approved, and $4.6M to the City of Lumberton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 404 paid, $22.2M.
Is Lumberton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Lumberton’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lumberton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lumberton’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.