Photo: G Keith Hall · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Mount Airy than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Airy gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #200 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 43 claims here since 1978.
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 Mount Airy 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 Mount Airy’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Airy, and Mount Airy’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
C #200 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mount Airy’s residents live in 7 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, Mount Airy has more expected damage per building than 69% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.6M a year in losses across Mount Airy: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Airy flood? Sometimes: 43 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Airy, from FEMA’s records: 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mount Airy isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Surry County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Mount Airy
Disasters that paid out in Mount Airy itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Mount Airy), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene239 households applied for aid$172K aid approved$829K to the City of Mount Airy for repairs
Surry County has had 16 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 Mount Airy after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Airy archive →Mount Airy and its neighbors
Mount Airy is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Rock | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mount Airy | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Toast | — | 893 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| White Plains | — | 795 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Mount Airy 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 Mount Airy
Is Mount Airy at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Airy has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #200 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mount Airy flood?
Flood insurance has paid 43 claims in Mount Airy since 1978, $1.2M in all, or 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Mount Airy 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 Surry County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mount Airy?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Airy’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 Mount Airy?
By FEMA money that reached Mount Airy, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 239 households applied for aid, $172K approved, and $829K to the City of Mount Airy for repairs.
Is Mount Airy at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Mount Airy’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Airy.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Airy’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.