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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Matthews · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Matthews 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, Matthews gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #179 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2014.

River and rain flooding 90%Tornadoes 4%Earthquakes 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

more than 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#179 of 290 in North Carolina
Hazard risk
C+#179 of 290
in North Carolina · higher than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 2014 · $170K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 14 declared for Mecklenburg County
By hazard

What Matthews 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

90%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hurricanes Hail Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Matthews’ grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Matthews, and Matthews’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Matthews sits
Matthews
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #179 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Matthews’ residents live in 13 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Tornadoes4%Earthquakes3%Everything else3%

The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Matthews has more expected damage per building than 62% of North Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.1M a year in losses across Matthews: $9.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 13 census tracts by where Matthews’ 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 Matthews flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 2014

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Matthews, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2014: 4 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201420152016
20142026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Florence1 claim · $2K
11
paid claims since 2014
$170K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$15K
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

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

Insurance rates: Mecklenburg County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Matthews

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

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Helene280 households applied for aid$88K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2002Severe Ice Storm$84K to the Town of Matthews for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Winter Storm$86K to the Town of Matthews for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MatthewsMecklenburg County only

Mecklenburg County has had 14 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 Matthews after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Matthews archive →
Next door

Matthews and its neighbors

Matthews is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Charlotte: hazard risk C+Mint Hill: hazard risk B−Stallings: hazard risk CCharlotteMint HillStallingsMatthews
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Mint HillB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding9
CharlotteC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding2,023
MatthewsC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding11
StallingsCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding5

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 Matthews 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 ↗
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 Matthews

Is Matthews at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Matthews has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #179 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Matthews flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Matthews since 2014, $170K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (1).

Is Matthews 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 Mecklenburg County, 86% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Matthews?

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

By FEMA money that reached Matthews, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 280 households applied for aid, $88K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 1 paid, $2K.

Is Matthews at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Matthews’ rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Matthews.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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