Washington Mills-Mayodan Plant · Photo: Indy beetle · CC0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Mayodan as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mayodan gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #147 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 8 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 Mayodan 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 Mayodan’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mayodan, and Mayodan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #147 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mayodan’s residents live in 2 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, Mayodan has more expected damage per building than 51% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $788K a year in losses across Mayodan: $711K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mayodan flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mayodan, from FEMA’s records: 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mayodan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rockingham County.The storms Mayodan remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Rockingham County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mayodan itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19797 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19851 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Rockingham County has had 22 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 Mayodan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mayodan archive →Mayodan and its neighbors
Mayodan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayodan | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Madison | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
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 Mayodan 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 Mayodan
Is Mayodan at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mayodan has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #147 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mayodan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Mayodan since 1979, $295K in all, or 6.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Mayodan 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 Rockingham County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mayodan?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mayodan’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mayodan at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Mayodan’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mayodan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mayodan’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.