Photo: SunDawn · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Mount Holly faces more hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Holly gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #202 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1997.
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 Holly 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
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 Mount Holly’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Holly, and Mount Holly’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C #202 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mount Holly’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, Mount Holly has more expected damage per building than 70% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Mount Holly: $5.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Holly flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Holly, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene3 claims · $247K
- Hurricane Matthew1 claim · $7K
Mount Holly isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Gaston County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Holly
Disasters that paid out in Mount Holly itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Mount Holly), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene698 households applied for aid$991K aid approved$482K to the City of Mount Holly for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $247K
- 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$155K to the City of Mount Holly for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$136K to the City of Mount Holly for repairs
Gaston 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 Holly after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Holly archive →Mount Holly and its neighbors
Mount Holly 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Mount Holly | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
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 Holly 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.
- 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 Mount Holly
Is Mount Holly at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Holly has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #202 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mount Holly flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Mount Holly since 1997, $480K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (3).
Is Mount Holly 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 Gaston County, 46% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mount Holly?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Holly’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 Holly?
By FEMA money that reached Mount Holly, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 698 households applied for aid, $991K approved, and $482K to the City of Mount Holly for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 3 paid, $247K.
Is Mount Holly at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Mount Holly’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Holly.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Holly’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.